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 – a former Irish priest – pulled Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil into the crowd watching the race. De Lima continued the race with a slight limp and still managed to win the bronze medal.

Hotdog Eating Record

Takeru Kobayashi continued to set the standard for competitive eating in 2004 at the World Hotdog Eating Championships. Kobayashi wolfed down a 53 hotdogs in just 12 minutes, breaking his own world record in addition to winning a year's supply of hotdogs.

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