Metta Sandiford-Artest, formerly known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, knows firsthand how dangerous player-fan incidents can be. Back in 2004, the former NBA forward -- then a member of the Indiana Pacers -- was a primary participant in the infamous "Malice at the Palace" fan brawl in Detroit, and his actions resulted in an 86-game suspension.
Unruly fan behavior still exists -- the beginning to this summer's NBA playoffs has been marred by it. And naturally, Sandiford-Artest is disappointed by the recent wave of disrespectful incidents.
"I want to separate the name 'fans' from people who throw things. Those are two separate creatures," Sandiford-Artest told The DA Show on Wednesday. "Don't bring your stress to the game. Don't take your stress out on a player... I truly believe they're not even thinking about [their actions] in the moment. I truly believe that. Because even the fan who threw a cup of beer at me -- and I go into the stands and we started fighting -- I don't think they were thinking about that. They were just in the moment, which I kind of love. Me and John Green, the guy who hit me, we're friends now. I was very upset. He lost me tens and tens of millions of dollars.
"But with that being said, as humans, we make mistakes, and I don't think they're thinking about it. I think they're in the moment. They love their team, and sometimes they do too much... I believe that the fans who are getting into these troubles should not only be banned, but they should go through community service... The spitting and the throwing of water bottles, okay, that needs community service. Maybe a ban and community service. And the guy throwing the popcorn, that's really immature... Spit, water bottle, popcorn, those are three different levels of disrespect and danger."
Last Thursday, three NBA teams -- the Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz -- banned fans for their disgusting behavior directed toward players. The series of incidents included a Sixers fan throwing popcorn on Washington Wizards star Russell Westbrook, a Knicks fan spitting on Atlanta Hawks phenom Trae Young, and a group of Jazz fans heckling Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant with crude and racist remarks.
The string of ugliness continued on Sunday night, as a Boston Celtics fan was arrested for throwing a water bottle at Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving. According to the Boston Police Department, the fan is facing one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Sandiford-Artest has talked openly about the darkest moment of his NBA career. And believe it or not, he remains in touch with Green, the fan who instigated their fight nearly 17 years ago.
"When we first spoke on the phone, when I got his number, his wife answered. She didn't believe it was me. It was really funny," Sandiford-Artest said. "And then he got on the phone. I called him an a-hole -- I wanted to get that out of the way -- and then he was like, 'Hey, Ron' and he apologized. He told me what happened. That was years ago, and it was good. We're not like every day getting lunch, but it's cool. He was going through his own things..."
The entire conversation between Sandiford-Artest and DA can be accessed in the audio and video players above.
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