After The Malice at the Palace: Where Are They Now?
By Ben Gibson
There were plenty of other people involved with the brawl, but the primary figures won’t be forgotten easily. Some may forget the rest of the players and personalities involved, but a total of 146 games were missed due to suspensions.
For the Detroit Pistons, Ben Wallace served a six-game suspension while the others (Chauncey Billups, Derrick Coleman, and Elden Campbell) all served one game. Pacers players Reggie Miller and Anthony Johnson were also suspended for a game. All of them are now retired, with the now-Hall-of-Famer Miller serving as a regular presence on TNT’s basketball broadcasts.
The enigmatic William Wesley, better known as World Wide Wes, who pulled Ron Artest away from the fighting for a moment, is still a “power broker” for the Creative Artists Agency.
Indiana coach Rick Carlisle left the team in 2007 and went on to coach the Dallas Mavericks to a NBA title in 2011. Then-Pistons coach Larry Brown coached the New York Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats before taking over as Souther Methodist University’s head coach, where he still coaches.
There is no happy ending for Indianapolis.
Neither Miller nor any of the other Pacers were able to win a championship in Indiana. While there is no familiar redemption narrative coming out of those years, Pacers fans can at least be happy that the team has changed and gotten away from the reputation the team had for years after the Malice in the Palace.
The hope is now that Paul George and the rest of the Pacers can one day lead Indiana back to the NBA finals, and hopefully, a championship.