Doug Gottlieb is joined by former Pacers PF Jermaine O' Neal to revisit and recount his experience in the 2004 Pacers-Pistons brawl, better known as "The Malice at the Palace", as a multi-part documentary about the events premieres today titled Netflix Untold: Malice at the Palace.
Jermaine O'Neal:"The NBA and the Indiana Pacers were put in a tough position, and I completely understood it, because they had no template to deal with an entire media base, domestically and internationally, coming at you and saying the league is 'too black.' Because when you talk about cornrows, tattoos, and hip-hop music, who are you talking about? And here's the thing too that poked at me - when you say we're criminals, do I have a criminal record? So if I don't have a criminal record, and I've won the NBA Community Assist Award 3 times, how did you come to the conclusion that I'm a criminal? Because I have braids and tattoos? Because I like hip-hop music? This thing became much more than a punch or a fight, it became a cultural attack. And that was the real problem I had. And I don't blame the NBA or the Pacers. I was a little bit sensitive over the years that the conversation wasn't revisited because the almost-celebration of it, the anniversary that happens every year. It's an opportunity to set the table straight now that we're away from it. But it was never done, so I felt like it was time to have the conversation so we could turn another page and close the chapter."