From the basketball brawls to hotdog eating contests Kidzworld checks out the wackiest sports stories of 2004.
Basketbrawl 2004
Fists, beer cups and chairs were flying all over the
basketball court during a
brawl between fans and players at a November game between the
Detroit Pistons and the
Indiana Pacers. Taunting fans and irate players exchanged blows in the stands and on the court. At the end of it all,
Ron Artest,
Stephen Jackson and
Jermaine O'Neal of the Pacers and Ben Wallace of the Pistons were handed lengthy suspensions.
Kobe vs. Shaq
The ongoing feud between NBA stars
Kobe Bryant and
Shaquille O'Neal was a big story in 2004. The two stars of the
LA Lakers parted ways at the end of the
2004 NBA playoffs, after a season where the two got along about as well as
Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff. Shaq accused Kobe of not being a team player and a cheater, while Kobe accused Shaq of being
fat and lazy. Shaq was later traded to the Miami Heat and Kobe signed a long term contract to stay in LA. The two will play each other for the first time on
Christmas Day, 2004.
Marathon Manhandling
The
2004 Summer Olympics in
Athens provided some great sports stories, but none was more wacky then the conclusion of the men's
marathon race. The race took a bizarre twist when a spectator grabbed the race leader with about three miles to go in the 26 mile race. The psycho spectator