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RECORD BAN IMPOSED ON ARTEST
Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest has been banned for the remainder of the season for his role in Friday's brawl with supporters of the Detroit Pistons.
Artest jumped into the stands to confront the Pistons fans after he was struck by a bottle of water thrown from the crowd, sparking a huge brawl that caused the game to be abandoned.
Several of his Pacers team-mates joined him in the melee and the NBA has also handed out suspensions to Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal.
Artest's ban, the longest in NBA history for a non-drug related offence, will cause him to miss the final 72 games of the season. Jackson has been suspended for 30 games and O'Neal for 25.
"What he (Artest) did was unforgiveable," said NBA commissioner David Stern. "It was a horrible scene and it is up to us to see it is not repeated.
"I have been a commissioner for 21 years and this is the worst game I have ever seen.
"I spent the weekend reviewing more tapes than I have in many years combined. It is my responsibility to decide on penalties for player conduct.
"We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our game. And one of those is the boundary that separates the players from the court."
Indiana's Anthony Johnson who also banned for five games, while four other players received automatic one-game bans for leaving the bench when the brawl erupted.
Artest will be suspended without pay, costing him an estimated $5m.
The previous record non-drug suspension was the 68-game ban handed out to Latrell Sprewell in 1997 for choking coach P.J. Carlesimo.
Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest has been banned for the remainder of the season for his role in Friday's brawl with supporters of the Detroit Pistons.
Artest jumped into the stands to confront the Pistons fans after he was struck by a bottle of water thrown from the crowd, sparking a huge brawl that caused the game to be abandoned.
Several of his Pacers team-mates joined him in the melee and the NBA has also handed out suspensions to Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal.
Artest's ban, the longest in NBA history for a non-drug related offence, will cause him to miss the final 72 games of the season. Jackson has been suspended for 30 games and O'Neal for 25.
"What he (Artest) did was unforgiveable," said NBA commissioner David Stern. "It was a horrible scene and it is up to us to see it is not repeated.
"I have been a commissioner for 21 years and this is the worst game I have ever seen.
"I spent the weekend reviewing more tapes than I have in many years combined. It is my responsibility to decide on penalties for player conduct.
"We have to make the point that there are boundaries in our game. And one of those is the boundary that separates the players from the court."
Indiana's Anthony Johnson who also banned for five games, while four other players received automatic one-game bans for leaving the bench when the brawl erupted.
Artest will be suspended without pay, costing him an estimated $5m.
The previous record non-drug suspension was the 68-game ban handed out to Latrell Sprewell in 1997 for choking coach P.J. Carlesimo.
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