Four players, including Indiana Pacers stars Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson, received indefinite suspensions from the NBA on 20 November 2004 after a violent altercation during a game in Detroit. The two Pacers climbed into the stands to fight spectators who had thrown bottles and a chair onto the court.
Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and Detroit's Ben Wallace also faced disciplinary action. Commissioner David Stern called the incident a humiliation for the league and stressed that players must never enter the stands regardless of crowd behavior. Further suspension details were expected within days.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.