Metta Sandiford-Artest reflects on his past as NBA fan behavior worsens

By Melissa Rohlin
FOX Sports NBA Writer

Amid the recent onslaught of poor fan behavior, Metta Sandiford-Artest believes his story serves as a cautionary tale for other NBA players.

If you retaliate, you will suffer. 

Sandiford-Artest was the central character in the most infamous brawl in NBA history Seventeen years ago, a fan threw a beer on him at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit. The 260-pound forward, who then played for the Indiana Pacers, responded by climbing into the stands and punching the fan.

The repercussions were severe.

He served an 86-game suspension for the incident, the longest non-drug-related suspension in league history. His reputation and wallet took a huge hit. 

"When I add it all up, it's probably close to a $40 to $50 million turnaround for me," Sandiford-Artest told FOX Sports. "Maybe I [could have] stayed with the Pacers and maxed out, you know. The Pacers already told me they were going to max me out. So on the low end, that's about a $40 to $50 million turnaround. And then all my [endorsement] deals were gone. Every one of them. And I never got another one."

This past week was triggering for Sandiford-Artest as multiple players were treated with the same disrespect that he experienced years ago. But he also felt a sense of pride. All of the athletes involved have avoided getting into trouble, a phenomenon he believes he played a part in.

After all, they all know what happened to him. 

"They probably saw the brawl," he said. "They probably saw something I said on it. I'm assuming that they were ready."

In a dizzying and disconcerting seven-day stretch, a fan in Boston threw a bottle of water at Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, whose teammates are shown responding to the incident below.

A spectator in New York spat at Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. 

A fan in Philadelphia dumped popcorn over the head of Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook as he was leaving the floor. 

A fan in Washington stormed the court at Capital One Arena during a game against the 76ers.

And in Utah, three fans mocked Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant's parents with racist comments.

The players kept their cool for the most part, though Westbrook had some help by being restrained.

"You saw how they all reacted," Sandiford-Artest said. "Everybody was chill. Nobody went into the stands, you know what I'm saying. It was beautiful to see, actually. Really. I was so happy it almost brought tears to my eyes to see that."

Sandiford-Artest identified with how the players felt. He knew the shock all too well – and the outrage that quickly followed. 

He admired the players' self-control. 

"None of these guys are punks," he said. "S---, I'm probably the nicest out of all of them. I just have a quick temper. I don't think I'm tougher than those guys. Those guys are tough."

For better or worse, Sandiford-Artest has become the poster child for such disturbances, the man everyone thinks about when athletes' and fans' worlds collide in ugly ways. 

He has tried desperately to shed that image, changing his name from Ron Artest to Metta World Peace in 2011. Last May, he revealed he had changed his name once again, keeping his first name "Metta," a Buddhist term that means "loving kindness," and hyphenating his last name to include his original surname and the maiden name of his wife, Maya Sandiford. 

But he has never been able to disassociate from the brawl. 

In fact, his birth name was trending Thursday on Twitter as the poor fan behavior exploded. One Twitter user wrote, "Fans these days need that Ron Artest treatment." Others chimed in as well.

But Sandiford-Artest regrets his actions. 

What happened that night in 2004 haunted him for the rest of his career. Video clips showed him charging into the stands but often omitted the fan throwing a beer at him. He was labeled as crazy. Aggressive. Unstable.

"I wish it didn't happen, but I don't think it was right to … " he said before his voice trailed off. "I didn't start nothing. I was really trying to change my life at that point in time. I was meditating and doing what my psychologist was trying to help have me do."

Dr. Stephen P. Gonzalez, an executive board member for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, said poor fan behavior is often due to entitlement or an erroneous feeling that "these players work for me, so to speak, because I'm paying to see them," he said. 

Athletes are often dehumanized while they're on a court or field. We're used to seeing their faces on our television screens, like characters from our favorite sitcoms. They're not real. They're huge and strong and invincible and immortal. 

But on the streets, different rules apply. 

Would one of those fans dare throw food or a water bottle at an athlete in that milieu? Not a chance.

When it comes to Sandiford-Artest, Dr. Gonzalez said the player's actions need to also be looked at through that lens. 

"He still had a draft beer thrown on him at 'The Malice at the Palace,'" Gonzalez said. "At that point, your safety is compromised. He went into, basically, defensive mode. People call him all of these names and say that he's this terrible person when, really, what would you do if somebody disrespected you by throwing a beer on you, and you weren't sure if you were going to be safe?

"I'm not justifying the outcome of everything, but at the same time, let's empathize and put ourselves in the situation of an athlete. What would you do there, when you've been disrespected like that? It's dehumanizing, and it rocks you to your core. It's a shame to see people treat people like that."

The trend only seems to be getting worse and more amplified as fans return to arenas after more than a year away because of the pandemic.

What if the popcorn had something dangerous in it? What if the water bottle had hit Irving's head? What if Young had turned around at the wrong moment and the spit had landed in his eye or mouth? What if the fan who stormed the court had a weapon?

Really, those isolated situations hurt real fans. 

Ticket prices go up because arenas need more security. Concession prices skyrocket because food and drinks need to be packaged less dangerously in case they're thrown. And our favorite athletes put up even more of a wall between us and them. 

"We talk about the arrogance of athletes. They won't sign this, or they're not accessible," Dr. Gonzalez said. "Well, if you want athletes to be accessible and if you want athletes to embrace fans more, let's make sure we're showing respect, and we're making sure it's a safe place to be."

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For Sandiford-Artest, it's all just upsetting. 

He was furious this past week watching NBA players being disrespected. 

"It kind of hurt a little bit," he said, "because I've been through it."

Nearly two decades ago, he learned a hard lesson, one he hopes everyone else continues to avoid. 

It's not worth engaging with disrespectful people in the stands. Don't stoop to their level. Don't take the bait. Let security handle those matters. 

"A fan is somebody coming to the game and buying tickets and helping support our families," he said.

Those other people? They're not even in the same category.

"They're not fans," Sandiford-Artest said.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the league for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.