If, after Kobe’s passion and Mamba Mentality, something is famous, it’s Reggie Miller’s ability to instigate. Kobe Bryant once analyzed cheetahs to refine his footwork. He literally torched the Raptors for 81 points just to show the world the definition of obsession. Reggie Miller, meanwhile, famously silenced Spike Lee with his mouth and his game. Dropping 25 in a quarter at MSG to shush the entire Garden. Ever thought what would happen if you combined the two? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

On March 1, 2002, Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller got into a heated on-court scrap during a regular-season game. It was between Lakers-Pacers at Staples Center. It all went down late in the third quarter with the Lakers leading. But tempers flared near the scorer’s table, and things got so intense that teammates had to jump in to pull them apart. The refs didn’t hesitate: both stars got ejected from the game, ending their nights early.

What actually went down between Kobe and Reggie?

Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller’s beef started when Kobe launched a deep three right as the shot clock was about to expire. It was a move that clearly rubbed Miller the wrong way. The two started jawing at each other near half-court. And before long, they were face-to-face, as the tension escalated. The trash talk turned into shoving, then full-on punches, and next thing you know, they were tumbling toward the scorer’s table in a full-blown scuffle. Things got wild fast as the two stars went at it.

Players from both teams immediately rushed in. Shaq came barreling through. He shoved Pacers aside to protect Kobe at the bottom of the scrum. During the chaos, Robert Horry was dragging a Pacers player to the ground. While Austin Croshere got his jersey practically ripped off. Jermaine O’Neal was fired up, needing Mark Jackson to hold him back. Meanwhile, Ron Artest and coach Isiah Thomas worked the sidelines and tried to cool everyone down. The whole thing was over quickly compared to how intense it was. Courtesy of fellow teammates with cooler heads. And then a few days later, came a statement.

“Kobe has other issues he has to deal with. This had nothing to do with me or the basketball game played on Friday evening.” Reggie’s comment indicated nothing that someone could read. It is still a mystery what he said. Maybe, upset and unexpected, he wished to trigger or downplay. But that died then, but a question which still lingers: What happened next?

The aftermath: did it ever get solved?

After Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller’s on-court brawl, the NBA took a close look at what went down. They gave both guys two-game suspensions (no paycheck for those nights). Plus, Kobe got slapped with a $12,500 fine while Reggie had to pay up $10 K. Nobody else got suspended, but the NBA did send warnings to other players who got involved. The whole thing blew up in the media. No surprise when two superstar players go at it.

It got heated out there, but at the end of the day, it was all basketball, nothing personal between them. After the NBA gave suspensions and fines, that was it. Case closed as far as the league was concerned. We never saw Kobe and Reggie going at each other again after that. The truth is, they both moved on with their careers, showing each other nothing but mutual respect.

Years later, Reggie actually put the whole rivalry in perspective when talking about his battles with Kobe and MJ. “I only beef with two. For me to have beef with those two dudes. Crazy. The two best shooting guards our game has ever seen. I mean, I’ll take it as a form of respect, I can only speak for myself, I hope they respected my game, I respected theirs, I didn’t fear them, but I respected the hell.”

That’s how it goes with the greats: whatever happens during the game stays on the court. The mutual respect between these legends lasted way longer than any momentary clash.