metta world peace INDIANAPOLIS – APRIL 29: Ron Artest #23 of the Indiana Pacers drives around Mark Blount #30 of the Boston Celtics in Game five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2003 NBA Playoffs at Conseco Fieldhouse on April 29, 2003 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers defeated the Celtics 93-88 in overtime. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

It has been nearly 12 years since the Malice at the Palace rocked the sports world and changed the NBA forever.

The events that night altered the course of two NBA franchises, led to the implementation of new league-wide rules,  and forever changed the lives of many of the game’s participants and those in attendance. Perhaps no one was more affected than the man at the genesis of the brawl, Metta World Peace — then known as Ron Artest.

Artest was suspended for 86 games following the melee, and the aftermath of the event led to him eventually turning his outlook on life around by seeking the help of therapy. Meanwhile, the man who sparked the brawl by throwing the bottle at a prone Artest, John Green, also dealt with his fair share of fallout from that fateful night. Green spent 30 days in jail, served two years probation, and completed treatment for alcohol issues and anger management.

That is what makes the friendship between World Peace and Green all that more remarkable. Stephen Jackson, who was suspended 30 games for his role in the brawl, revealed that the two primary instigators of the Malice at the Palace are good friends and continue to talk daily.

Green and World Peace first began talking around five years after the incident, and quickly struck up a friendship. As both men dealt with the repercussions of their actions and sought to better themselves, they found the road to redemption is easier traveled together than apart.

The NBA scrubbed as much of the footage from that night as it could, but scrubbing it away completely is an impossible task in the Internet age.

It is still mesmerizing to watch the brawl unfold all these years later. The raw footage of fans and players brawling is still so shocking it hardly seems real. It would be hard to fault for those who lived through it firsthand for wanting to never revisit the events of Nov. 19, 2004, ever again, but World Peace and Green are embracing their common past.

Former NBA commissioner David Stern might still have nightmares from that night, but at least the two men who caused the melee have reached a happy ending after an ugly beginning.

About Ben Sieck

Ben is a recent graduate of Butler University where he served as Managing Editor and Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Butler Collegian. He currently resides in Indianapolis.