Ron Artest, Rather Blunt and Honest

by Tom Ziller on Dec 19, 2007 10:29 AM PST in Links

It seems like every other week we're getting some great quotes out of or about Ron Artest. This Michael Tillery interview on The Starting Five beats them all, though. A sample:

You have all kinds of athletes catering to the corporate world for endorsements. Yeah I would love to do that but I'll sacrifice that so the hood can get the attention it sorely needs. The ghetto needs someone always in their corner so they are not out there alone. When they see me come through, they just think I'm some hood dude. When people think of people like that, they think you are a thug that smokes weed and is always in the club. When I speak to people from the ghetto and kick a little bit of knowledge I've learned from experience, and try to help them learn from my experiences, they say, "Oh shit, this nigga is real!" This dude is real or whatever. I'm not some young, rich spoiled athlete that happened to be from the hood. My opinion of being ghetto and being hood is having intelligence while also being a strong person. I want to try to help those who are still stuck in the hood and let them know they can elevate themselves, learn from their mistakes, get an education and lead a better life.

God bless Ron Artest. I've always remarked the most endearing thing about Ron isn't his incredible self-confidence or his beastly desires on the court -- it's his honesty. He holds absolutely nothing inside, and that's so refreshing. This is a perfect example.

(Via Free Darko.)

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A little more honesty from Ron -
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12192007/sports/knicks/knicks_still_in_rons_eye_981142.htm

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by section214 on Dec 19, 2007 10:50 AM PST reply actions

Read the whole interview and comments

It's a good read (may take awhile so be prepared) and gives you some insight into Ron and even his playing style. I am in the minority here as one of the people who want to re-sign Artest but this interview just re-affirms this desire.

Specifically, Ron talks about telling K-Mart to be the "man" who insists Ron is the best player on the team (humble as always Kevin). Also, he talks about shooting crazy threes and fadeaways because the refs won't call fouls (or O-fouls) and that scorers get max money. There is much truth to that statement as Ron would NEVER get max money deferring to the team and not scoring (as he stated his desire to be the ultimate team player). Regardless of your feeling you cannot fault Ron for looking out for his best interest and getting as financially secure as possible. Just read the interview and we can talk some more because it is sure to spark some debates here... thanks for the heads-up TZ, stellar work as always.

by Mityt on Dec 19, 2007 2:03 PM PST reply actions

Ron Artest is unique

He reminds me of Kermit Washington in this sense. Those who try to pigeonholed Kermit made the mistake of not hearing his side of the story. It's almost interesting that blogs are around so that Artest's story, whether you like it or not, is to be heard regardless. Personally Artest's mistakes are mostly his own, and he became the easy scapegoat in the Detroit brawl.

I am the stone that the builder refused I am the visual, the inspiration That made Lady Sing the Blues..I'm the spark that makes your idea bright...

by pookeyguru on Dec 19, 2007 8:04 PM PST reply actions