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Artest appeared on SportsCenter promising to “hood-a-lize” the franchise a bit and became a YouTube sensation when the audio clip of his Michael Jackson tribute song, “Michael, Michael” hit the blogosphere. The song was interesting, but, let’s just say, Artest is no Quincy Jones.
Ron-Ron’s reputation as a bad boy goes beyond just goofy haircuts and strange forays into the recording booth, however. His most infamous moment came on Nov. 19, 2004, when, as an Indiana Pacer, he ran into the stands during a game against the Detroit Pistons and attacked a fan who had thrown something at him.
The melee that ensued resulted in Artest receiving the longest non-drug related suspension in NBA history (86 games) and criminal charges for players and fans that were involved. The Indiana Pacers, considered title contenders that season, disintegrated and the franchise has yet to fully recover from that incident.
Artest was traded to the Sacramento Kings and, though he helped push the franchise back into the playoffs, he was also involved in a domestic abuse incident involving his wife in early March 2007.
But now, after an incident-free tenure with the Houston Rockets, Artest is with the NBA’s premier franchise. Lakers megastar Kobe Bryant is no stranger to controversy, either. His reputation was sullied in 2003 after a sexual assault charge (which was subsequently dropped), and many still have yet to forgive the 2008 MVP for his past transgression.
In Bryant and Artest, the Lake Show has two of the most polarizing players in sports wearing Purple and Gold. But this is pure Hollywood — nothing sells quite like controversy, and in suiting up these two, the team is only proving once again, that the best drama in Tinseltown doesn’t come from the studios — it comes from Staples Center. –todd williams
