Ozzie und Daniel Silna waren Besitzer eines erfolglosen Teams einer längst untergegangenen Liga. Dann kamen sie auf den cleversten Vertrag der amerikanischen Sporthistorie. Nun will die NBA sie aus dem Deal herauskaufen.

The images are just as striking almost a decade later. A cup splashes off Ron Artest in the closing moments of a blowout win against the Detroit Pistons. He leaps into the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills and into sports infamy. Mayhem follows. Players fight fans, fans fight players, a chair is thrown, bottles are tossed — in seconds, the invisible wall that separates athletes and spectators is demolished; the social contract of arena behavior is left in shreds. What happened that night went well beyond nearly $10 million in forfeited paychecks and 146 games lost in suspensions.