I haaaaaaaaaate strip clubs (Sorry! Paying women to disrobe has never been my ministry), but I can tell you exactly where I was on Friday, November 19, 2004.
After the homies had kidnapped me for some “adult entertainment” at an undisclosed location in Phoenix, Ariz., I vividly recall ignoring all the ass and areolas bouncing around in my face in order to fixate on the plasma screens that surrounded me. Because to my shock and awe, former NBA All-Star Ron Artest was in the stands laying hands like a pastor on some idiot who was foolish enough to throw a drink at him.
This ignited a chain reaction of violence and chaos that would soon spread throughout the rest of the arena, as Artest’s Indiana Pacers teammates Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Jackson, and Ben Wallace joined the Get Busy Committee and auditioned for what would become one of the earliest examples of viral video. This massive brawl, now infamously known as “Malice in the Palace,” not only saw the NBA punish every participant with stiff suspensions for beating the shit out fans, but it also cost every stripper in my immediate vicinity their rent money. Because instead of making it rain on their favorite stripper of choice, every single person in the club was glued to the TVs as soon as they heard me bark, “Oh shit! Them niggas throwing hands!”
My humble apologies.
Since that fateful night, much has been said about security in NBA arenas, fan interactions, and much-deserved ass whoopings. But to my knowledge, we’ve been deprived of a documentary that digs into the meat and potatoes of what actually went down. Thankfully, nearly 17 years later, Netflix has answered the call with their new docuseries Untold, which will reveal what happened behind the scenes of some of the most significant moments in sports history.
Per the Associated Press, each episode is 80-minutes and first up to bat is a deep dive into the brawl we all know and love, “Malice in the Palace.” Peep the trailer below and prepare to receive your blessing when Netflix’s Untold premieres on August 10.