The level of physicality in the NBA has led to many interactions between players. Former commissioner David Stern cleaned up a lot of those blemishes during his term, but former NBA players live on to tell the tales.
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The notorious “Malice in the Palace” immediately comes to mind when it comes to dark moments in the NBA. That instance may have gotten the most coverage, but it is far from the only controversial altercation. Former Golden State Warriors star Jason Richardson has details of another game that took a nasty turn.
On December 21, 2002, the Portland Trail Blazers and Warriors geared up for a run-of-the-mill regular season game. The two teams competed to the final buzzer, but a game-winner from Rasheed Wallace propelled the Trail Blazers over the top as time expired.
Under the basket, Warriors forward Chris Mills and Blazers forward Bonzi Wells found themselves wrapped up. In the blink of an eye, an entire brawl broke out.
At the time, Richardson was a rookie, but even he was caught up in the intense emotions. As brutal as the fight looked from the broadcast, it got worse after the game. Mills carried his anger with him out of the tunnel. Richardson revealed details of the aftermath, which nearly turned the fight into something deadly.
“We go out, and all we see is a ’64 lowrider and a black suburban; they blocked the [Trail Blazers] bus from leaving,” Richardson said. “Chris Mills is telling Bonzi to get off the bus.”
Richardson had no idea what was going on in the Trail Blazers’ bus during the ordeal. Years later, former Trail Blazers star Zach Randolph enlightened him, making the story even crazier.
“[Zach Randolph] is on the bus and everyone’s telling Bonzi, ‘Hey man, you got to go handle this.’ Z-Bo is like, ‘Let me off the bus!’ Mo Cheeks told Z-Bo, ‘They might have guns.’ Z-Bo is like, ‘I got my piece on me. We got a gun, we good,'” Richardson said.
Fortunately, the Trail Blazers didn’t get off the bus, and tempers didn’t reach a regrettable breaking point. The NBA did punish Mills for his actions by suspending him for three games without pay, however.
Richardson never witnessed anything quite like that for the remainder of his 13-year NBA career. The altercation wasn’t any laughing matter, but looking back at it now, Richardson can recall the story with a smile.
