Former Indiana Pacers player Stephen Jackson said the Malice at the Palace tainted his image to the point that he never got an All-Star selection
Stephen Jackson‘s first season with the Indiana Pacers went off the rails and fast. Almost everyone remembers the Malice at the Palace, a nasty brawl that spilled into the fans and involved spectators between the Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.
Ron Artest (later known as Metta World Peace and today as Metta Ford-Artest) was the main culprit, gaining a season-long suspension for launching into the stands and assaulting a fan. Jackson, himself, was suspended for 30 games.
Multiple players and fans were charged with assault, and it was one of the worst public relations incidents for the league, an absolute worst-case scenario for the escalation of an on-court incident.
Jackson believes that the brawl and the ding on his reputation as a result of it were extreme and that it was the sole reason he was never selected to an All-Star game in his career.
Speaking to Shaquille O’Neal on his podcast The Big Podcast, Jackson said this about playing in the BIG3 and how part of his motivation is to prove his worth, given that he was snubbed from All-Star games throughout his career.
"“With me not making one All-Star game, Shaq, that haunts me still to this day. I never made one because of the brawl, just because of the brawl. After that, I had 20+ [points] four or five seasons straight and never made it. I knew that was the reason, because of the brawl but the BIG3 I wanted to play because I still had basketball in me.”"
Jackson’s best seasons came after leaving the Pacers while playing for the Golden State Warriors.
In the 2008-09 season with Golden State, Jackson averaged 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. David West, selected to the game over Jackson that season, averaged 20.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Brandon Roy was also selected and averaged 19.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game.
It’s certainly not an indisputable fact that Jackson deserved the nod over either of those players, but there is a case for Jackson to have made the team.
From 2007 to 2011, Jackson averaged 20.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game. While Jackson was at no point vying for one of the five starting All-Star roles, there’s definitely a case for his on-court play to gain him consideration for the honor.
Ultimately, the brawl did hurt Jackson’s reputation tremendously, and it suffocated the Pacers and their success as well. Having built their team around Artest who was then suspended for an entire season, Jackson was launched into a star role when Jermaine O’Neal went out with injury. Had it not been for the opportunity to draft Paul George years later, it could have done much more damage on the franchise that had just been salvaged by Reggie Miller’s leadership and success.