ronald william artest junior aka RON ARTEST was officially signed to the LOS ANGELES LAKERS yesterday with an $18-million dollar contract for 3-years.
artest will wear jersey number-37. supposedly his number is somehow linked to MJ because the album THRILLER was number-1 on the pop charts for 37-weeks straight. go figure!
in 2004 ron artest won the nba defensive player of the year award and was also involved in an infamous pacers x pistons brawl that same year. the brawl got artest some major publicity but also resulted in some serious repercussions including a 73-game suspension including the playoffs in addition to about $2-million in fines as well as community service.
the fans who started the fight by throwing a cup of beer at artest were also charged with assault and banned from attending any events at the palace for life! and this legendary on the court debacle also led the nba to mandate increased security between players and fans and to ban the sale of alcohol at games after the 3rd-quarter.
artest is a straight up gangster. he has also had some legal troubles involving great dane neglect in 2007 and domestic abuse in 2008. however he has recently been affiliated with the organization P.E.T.A. as an advocate for spaying and neutering pets.
plus i guess this guy has a "rap career" too. his first studio album entitled my world reportedly sold an estimated 365-albums within the first week of its release in october of 2006. needless to say the album is garbage however track-16 on the album called get low features nature and capone and mike jones and its mildly amusing:
