John Green (fan)

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This article is about the infamous basketball fan. For other people named John Green, see John Green (disambiguation).

John Frank Green (born February 11, 1965), of West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, USA, is the Detroit Pistons fan responsible for throwing a plastic beer cup at Indiana Pacers' Ron Artest, which led to the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl (also referred to as "Malice at the Palace") at the Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, involving Artest and some of his teammates, as well as several fans and Pistons players.

Green has several criminal convictions, including felony assault with intent to do great bodily harm and three drunken driving convictions, and was in fact on court-ordered probation from a DWI conviction in November 2004 at the time of the brawl. Green was a Piston season ticket holder and has been banned from attending future games at the Palace of Auburn Hills. He has also been banned from the Palace grounds, and Artest has filed a restraining order against him. The restraining order requires that Green maintain a distance of 60 feet from Artest, which is the believed distance from where Green threw the cup at Artest.

On March 27, 2006, a jury found Green guilty on one count of assault and battery for punching Artest in the stands, but acquitted him of an assault charge for throwing the cup. On May 1, 2006, Green was sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years' probation. [1]