No one expected Artest to charge in the crowd during the Pacers-Pistons game and start a brawl. No one expected an NBA basketball player to drink Hennessey at halftime of games. If we have learned one thing with Ron Artest, it’s to expect the unexpected.
After the Lakers championship victory, Doris Burke interviewed Ron Artest.
When most players win a championship they like to thank their parents and sometimes even credit God. Ron Artest certainly isn’t like most people.
By Justin Mertes-Mistretta
Before thanking his wife and kids, Artest started by thanking his hood of Queens, New York. This may have seemed in jest, but make no mistake about it, he was serious.
Artest grew up in a neightborhood where basketball is life and death, literally. As a kid, Artest claims to have witnessed a player being murdered during a game. “It was so competitive, they broke a leg from a table and threw it right through his heart,” said Artest. “He died right on the court.”
Artest proceeded to thank his psychiatrist, who helped him relax and even predicted that he would make a crucial 3-pointer. Maybe Kobe Bryant should be the one thanking Ron Artest’s psychiatrist. When Kobe was struggling in the first half, surprisingly Artest was there to pick up the slack offensively. It was Artest, not Kobe, who hit a crucial three to put the Lakers up six with a minute to go.
Just when you thought he was finished, Artest finishes the interview by promoting his new single, “Champion.” The funniest part about it all is that the single was made last June. I like the foreshadowing. Well played Artest, or should I call him by his rap name, Tru Warier?
Tru Warier was not done.
In his press-conference, after most likely downing a bottle of champagne, Artest called out Journalists for not being excited enough. He grabbed a box of Wheaties that was conveniently placed on the table for the Camera to see and yelled “Wheaties!” A more fitting box of cereal would have been Cocoa Puffs, because Artest was cu-cu after his first championship win.
To top it all, Artest warned everyone that he wasn’t going to stay too long at the press-conference, because he really wanted to go to the club. David Stern squirmed a little in his seat when he heard that.
Look out for Tru Warier’s new single, “Champion,” there might just be some more unexpected soundbites to be heard.
Read more articles by Justin Mertes-Mistretta at https://www.percysperspective.com/