There are unbelievable stories in the NBA. And the brawl at the former arena of the Detroit Pistons is just one of them. Back in 2004, at the end of the game between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, a brawl broke out. The incident affected many people. Also, including people not present in the arena.
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The Palace of Auburn Hills saw the incident and an innocent person got caught up years later. Jerry Ferrara was hilariously misidentified as one of those punched by Ron Artest during the brawl 15 years later.
Jerry Ferrara misunderstood as part of the NBA brawl
In 2004, the NBA fandom witnessed an event never seen before. The Pistons were losing against the Pacers, which led to a fistfight between the Pistons fans and the Pacers players. It was a horrible incident for the NBA, as the media heavily criticized the players. This also resulted in huge fines and suspensions.
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One fan tweeted out the incident 15 years later, calling Jerry Ferrara the fan in the video. It was a sarcastic comment, as Ferrera acted in a famous TV series called ?Entourage?. Further, Ferrera’s character ‘Turtle’ dressed exactly as the fan in the incident.
Hey everyone. I in fact, am NOT that dude with the jersey and hat lol. But both Turtle and Jerry would have picked up on the vibes and just ran out of the Palace. that is all. #facts https://t.co/VCxCRoDI9E
— Jerry Ferrara (@jerryferrara) November 19, 2019
The joke went viral, and some fans mistook it to be the truth. The 42-year-old actor had to come out on social media in 2019, and clarify the matter at hand. While looking at the hilarious side of it, Ferrera tweeted that he wasn’t the guy who got punched.
Guess it’s that time of year again. I repeat I am not the guy that Ron Artest punched ! See you next year. LMAOO https://t.co/VCxCRoDI9E
— Jerry Ferrara (@jerryferrara) November 20, 2020
The joke seems to be a tradition by now, as the actor is seemingly having fun with it as well. The actor decided to make a cheeky joke on the 18th anniversary of the incident, as he tweeted:?
For the 18th year in a row. THIS WAS NOT ME. https://t.co/dDaNrV6Suq
— Jerry Ferrara (@jerryferrara) November 20, 2022
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Even though it is funny, it wasn’t the case back then. In the final 45 seconds of the game, the fans had too much to drink as they chucked one at Artest. Many would remember the infamous incident for a long time.
Aftermath of Malice at the Palace
Years later, Netflix decided to make a documentary on the incident called ?Malice at the Palace?. The episode dove into what happened; as the Indiana Pacers were on the verge of defeating the Detroit Pistons.
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The NBA suspended nine players for a combined total of 146 games, and $11 Million in fines. The assault caused criminal proceedings among the five fans involved.