Untold: Malice at the Palace

About Untold: Malice at the Palace

This documentary is about the Detroit NBA brawl that took place during a game between the Indiana Pacers and the defending champion Detroit Pistons on Friday, November 19, 2004, at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States.  The brawl was so infamous that it has its own name:  The Malice at the Palace. And now the Detroit NBA brawl has its own little Netflix documentary.

Untold: Malice at the Palace's Relation To Sport Business

NBA players are among the most marketable, giving, and socially responsible athletes. LeBron James led a voting campaign last year, Steph Curry recently gave Howard University's golf team six years' worth of cash, and Michael Jordan has cemented his status as a symbol of excellence and amusing memes.

However, the NBA's impeccable reputation wasn't always so spotless. In the final minutes of the Indiana Pacers vs. Detroit Pistons game on November 19, 2004, a fight between players and spectators took place. That match continues to be remembered as one of the most notorious and contentious incidents in league history.

From the viewpoints of the players to the famed beer thrower who began it all, Netflix's Untold: Malice in the Palace brilliantly recounts the events of that day for the first time.

The documentary easily captures your attention simply due to its subject matter. Because it blatantly contradicts the social contract that exists between viewer and athletic performer, the notion of supporters and players engaging in physical conflict is absurd. Soccer fans saw this firsthand over the weekend when a similar altercation broke out during a game between OGC Nice and Marseille, two Ligue 1 teams from France.

This documentary stands out because it masterfully demonstrates how America's attitudes on race, mental health, and poisonous sports media came together to feed the fires of controversy rather than merely recounting the events that occurred.

Untold does an outstanding job of establishing and hearing the tales, motivations, and feelings of the players who were involved that night, in contrast to the sports media at the time, who persistently branded the players as "thugs." The famous Reggie Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest (later known as Metta-World Peace), Stephen Jackson, Ben Wallace, and Ron Artest all offer priceless, previously unheard viewpoints and details on the incident.

The players were previously subject to a mute order from commissioner David Stern, which prohibited them from discussing the altercation in public. As a result, each player received a fine and a season-long suspension, with Artest's suspension being the most severe and spanning the whole season.

The documentary also features the perspectives of other significant players, including the police officers there, the spectator Artest hit on the court, and the famed spectator who tossed the drink that ignited the entire altercation. It took skillful, thoroughly researched journalism to convince everyone to share their story.

The documentary provides the audience with countless revelations by incorporating the accounts of everyone who witnessed it firsthand. For instance, did you know that when Ron Artest sat down on the scorer's table, he was performing a mental health exercise that his therapist had taught him? Did you know that a lawyer reviewed the case again and found that the penalties imposed by the NBA were excessive?

These details—along with a whole deal more—were revealed in an outstanding Untold season premiere. It will be challenging to top the riveting, startling, and urgent opening episode, Untold: Malice in the Palace, which will focus on its own misinterpreted events.

And by the way, if you want to learn more about the though process of the Detroit NBA brawl's biggest perpetrator, be sure to check out A Quiet Storm.

Why watch Untold: Malice at the Palace?

Trailer & Extras