Ron Artest Interviews Ron Artest

[benji]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5417748

ARE YOU CRAZY?
What's crazy? You need to decide. On Twitter you could say I'm pretty crazy, or you could say I just have a weird sense of humor. Off the court you could say I'm pretty crazy, or you could say I'm just ghetto. On the court you could say I'm pretty crazy, or you could say I just play really hard. To each person, I could be a different person. So you need to decide. Of course, there have been times when I've done crazy things. But I don't think I'm crazy. I just grew up in a crazy world.

WHAT DO THE DOCTORS SAY?
Well, there is a history of mental illness in my family. My auntie is in the hospital right now. She's had her ups and downs. I've had mine too. I first saw a doctor when I was 13, when I was getting in a lot of trouble. If I felt I, or someone else, was being disrespected, I would pick a fight.

WHAT LED TO YOU HAVING THOSE FEELINGS?
I think a lot of it came from what happened to me as a kid. Some of it was my parents' divorce. A lot of it was getting teased for having ugly clothes and nappy hair. I got bullied so much at 11 and 12 that I became the bully. I didn't want to get bullied no more. And that just carried on through my life.

BESIDES BEING A BULLY, DID YOU ENGAGE IN OTHER DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIORS?
Alcohol was part of the problem. At 15 I started to get twisted, and at 16 I was getting lit up on a regular basis. By the time the Bulls drafted me, I'd drink in the house all day, then go play a game. But I stopped drinking heavily in Sacramento. I'm sure I wouldn't have made the same mistakes if I hadn't been drinking. Was I crazy, or was I not sober enough to have a clear mind? That's the question.

BUT YOU CONTINUED TO HAVE PROBLEMS IN THE NBA. WHEN DID THINGS START TO TURN AROUND?
It started in Sacramento, when I had a domestic issue with my wife. I won't get into specifics, but the court said I had to take classes, had to change course. At first, I was mad. But I took a marriage class, and the teacher was amazing. I became a better husband. Then I took a parenting class, and I became a better father. And I took an anger management class, and that helped me too. Ultimately, I got hooked on self-betterment. All of a sudden, I was addicted to counseling. So when I got to Houston, I started shopping for a mental health doctor. That's when I found Dr. Santhi Periasamy. She's the doctor I kept thanking after the Finals.

...

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
Titanic. When DiCaprio is trying to save the young lady, that was dope. When she tries to save him, and he dies, that was dope too. That whole situation was tragic. When I saw the baby in the water, frozen? I cried a little, but mostly I was pissed. I'd just had my daughter, so when I saw that frozen baby, I was like, "What the f -- !? That's bull -- !" And let's not forget about Céline Dion. That woman is unbelievable. You know how much I love my music? Well, I wouldn't put out a song for 10 years if that meant I could put out a song with her. Her voice sounds like pure fresh air. It sounds like what it sounded like when the world was created.

WHERE ARE YOU MOST AT PEACE?
At the beach. Man, give me a mango drink, some sand, that water, and it's all good. I love running in the sand. But sometimes I'm scared as hell of water. Whenever I'm out there, I'm thinking, "Damn, some tidal wave is about to come!" Okay, so maybe I'm not totally at peace at the beach.

NOW THAT YOU'VE WON A TITLE, DO YOU STILL HAVE ANY PERSONAL GOALS IN THE NBA?
I would love to get back to first-team All-Defense. I own defense. It's like my corporation. I'm the CEO and everyone else is just an employee. The fans and players know I belong. When you need a stop, who you going to call? Not the goddamn Ghostbusters, I'll tell you that. You call me.

[Fresh8]

Just read the piece and saw that you already posted a link.

I liked the article. It's a good read.

Shows that athletes come in all different kind of molds.

[shadowgrin]

Crazy, I'll give him that, but still incomparable to Rodman when it comes to contributing on the court.

[Modifly]

Still crazy. And his defense isn't as good as it was when he made the All-Defensive First team in 2004 and 2006 anymore. I've always questioned his defense, does Artest play really good defense or does he bully people around the court with his big, crab-like arms?

[The X]

Nice watch & read

Looking forward to Artest showing Lebanon what's it's all about in Queensbridge!!!

[NovU]

Enjoyed reading the whole interview. I liked how he talked about a story on himself developing as a player and also a person. Seemed like down to earth but bit phony interview. Nonetheless, some good stuff.

Still crazy. And his defense isn't as good as it was when he made the All-Defensive First team in 2004 and 2006 anymore. I've always questioned his defense, does Artest play really good defense or does he bully people around the court with his big, crab-like arms?

Heh, Osama Bin Ron thinks different.

OPPONENTS DON'T GET UNDER YOUR SKIN?
Nah, I'm much more mellow now. I can control myself on the court. If I get fouled, I say what I gotta say and move on. I don't mind being punked anymore. If someone gets in my face, I just walk away. Against the Celtics in the Finals, Tony Allen got in my face, but I don't got the time for Tony Allen. Now, if you're a star and you're talking trash, I'll talk back. All series long, Paul Pierce was talking: "You're a bum, you can't score, you can't guard me, I'm busting your ass." Everything.

HOW WOULD YOU TRASH-TALK AGAINST YOURSELF?
Well, I guess I would try saying, "You're crazy," or "psychopath." I got called both those things, and worse, in the playoffs. Fans in Utah called me Osama Bin Ron and said, "You need medicine," but none of that fazed me.

SO THERE'S NOTHING ANYONE CAN SAY?
All right, there is one thing that gets me really mad. Last season, Tim Legler, Charles Barkley and Carmelo Anthony all said something like, "Ron Artest is a step slower and can't play defense no more." I was 270 pounds, all muscle -- which was my goal for the season -- so I was fine, in my peaceful little world, until I heard that. It pissed me off so much! I put myself through my own midseason training camp. Didn't take a sip of alcohol from that time all the way through the playoffs. And by the Finals, I'd lost 20 pounds in two months. The problem was I was exhausted during that part of the season. That's why I was struggling. I was working out at 1 a.m., on the treadmill, in the gym. But I hit my stride in the playoffs. I shut down Kevin Durant, the NBA's scoring leader. I shut down whoever I shut down in Utah; they didn't have any stars at the 3. I shut down Jason Richardson. Shut down Paul Pierce. Three years straight, Paul Pierce is shooting 40.8% against Ron Artest. So, go ahead, tell me I'm slower. Tell me I can't play defense. Thank you.

[rise]

He forgot to thank his therapist at the end of the interview.