Most of us remember Malice at the Palace, the huge player-fan brawl that ensued and no one may remember this more than a man named John Green. While that name may not ring a bell off the bad, his went down in NBA infamy — or fan infamy — as the guys that threw a drink at World Peace (then Ron Artest) that incited the carnage that took place back in 2004. In a twist, the two are now good friends and were actually both guests on ESPN Los Angeles with Mason and Ireland and discuss that night.
How did you become friends with John Green, the guy who threw the cup at you that ended up instigating the brawl?:
“What happened was, when I got into the brawl in Detroit, I was transitioning into a different type of person, that person that I’ve become, but that game had so many emotions involved. So I get suspended and I think the whole world hates me and I’m walking around not wanting to talk to anybody. Then my psychologist, I was talking to her about a few things and I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to reach out to John.’ So I went on Twitter and said, ‘Anybody that can find me this guy’s number or information, I’ll take you out to lunch.’ … Somebody from Chicago found his number … so I called him and his wife picks up the phone. And I said, ‘Hey, this is Ron Artest. I’d like to speak to John.’ … Then I spoke to John and he answered the phone like he knew I was going to call.”
John, is that the way you remember it?:
“That was, he pretty much hit it right on the head. … I never knew, really, that was going to happen, but it was weird. Just to clear things up, it wasn’t a beer that I threw. It was a Diet Coke.”
John goes on to tell the reason why he hit him with the cup was that he could bet his buddy he could.
The rest is history and we all know about MWP’s suspension among other players involved in the brawl, but what about Green? He was eventually sentenced to 30 days n jail and banned for life by the Detroit Pistons.
