Ron Artest: "I Partied Hard As Hell"
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Giving Ron Artest a championship ring is like giving kids full-size candy bars on Halloween, so it should come as no surprise that Ron-Ron partied his ass off after the Lakers topped the Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Vodka showers, rap singles and purple and gold pants were all part of the celebration.
Apparently the party didn't end there either.
From Artest's Fanhouse interview with Sam Amick:
It's been fun -- a little too much fun. I partied hard as hell. I was gone. But the good thing is that I worked out (during that time). Last year at this time I was 270-something (pounds), and this year I'm 255, 258. I'm totally focused. Like this (cranberry and vodka drink in his hand) is probably my second drink in like a month, and usually in the summertime I get (his drinking) in. I get it in every night. But I'm going to come in at about 245, 240 this year, and get back to that Defensive Player of the Year weight.
Personally, this statement doesn't strike me as particularly revelatory -- it doesn't surprise me at all that Artest enjoyed the fruits of his success this summer. What was a revelation, to me at least, was a quote later in the interview about Artest's perception of his place on the team.
What helped me this year is I wasn't caught up on being a star. But that (championship) turns me into a star. That's what's crazy. But I don't care about being in the spotlight. I don't care about people saying, "Ron Artest you suck, and you're not funny anymore." I'd be like, "cool." But for some reason, it goes the other way. Before I always wanted to be the man, but now I don't care about being the man.
Artest has many great qualities (strength, motivation, absolute honesty) but the quality that constantly surprises me about him is his incredible self-awareness. Unlike other absurd NBA stars (say, Dennis Rodman), Ron-Ron knows himself as well as we do -- which is saying a lot considering he'll tell us just about anything on Twitter.
As someone who watched nearly every game during his stint with the Kings, I can say with certainty that Artest absolutely wanted to be "the man" in Sacramento. Ultimately, it didn't work out and he moved on to Houston, where he ceded top dog status to Yao Ming and paved the way for his complementary role in L.A.
This was obvious to most NBA observers but it's cool that Artest realized it himself. Again, most other players wouldn't -- or at least they wouldn't say so publicly.
Other cool revelations from the Fanhouse interview: Ron-Ron is opening restaurants in China and L.A. (name TBD), he "loved" his post-game press conference after watching it on replay, and he's working on a reality TV show that will focus on the upcoming season (watch out, Odom-Kardashians!).
As always, it's good to be Ron Artest.
To reach editor Patrick Crawley, click here.
