The drug infestation of the 1970s...
The death of Len Bias hours after he was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1986...
Magic Johnson announcing his retirement on November 7, 1991 due to being diagnosed with HIV...
The NBA has had some very dark moments, but none of those put as black an eye on the league as the evening of November 19, 2004 between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. What you see above was the end result of a few moments of tension mixed in with competitive nature. Throw in the overwhelming presence of alcohol, and what we saw on our television screens was utter chaos and unbelievable violence. We've seen athletes fight other athletes, and fans fight other fans in the stands, but never athletes verses fans. Not only did it result in a change of dress code and years of goodwill having to be re-established between the league and fans, it also changed the course of Pacer basketball history, as a team with championship aspirations were forced to continue on without Ron Artest (now known as Metta World Peace), who was one of the primary instigators of the fateful night.
Artest would eventually return to the league, change his name, and spend time playing overseas before returning to the LA Lakers in the twilight of his career. Now, one would think that it would create a permanent divide between World Peace and the people of Detroit, especially the fan who threw beer on him, which led to the melee. Well, he's not known as Metta World Peace for nothing, as his then-teammate Stephen Jackson explained on ESPN's The Jump recently.
Grudges aren't meant to the held forever, and to see that these two people have reconciled is further proof that no matter what happened in the past, we are responsible for being the one who seeks forgiveness. Remember, to forgive is so that we can be released from the burden. If the other person does not receive it, we are free to move forward with our lives. As Jackson said, he doesn't know how they remain close friends to this day, it's amazing.
In a world in which there is constant conflict and strife, be the person who seeks true peace.
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