| Revision as of 23:18, 24 January 2006 view source66.218.11.89 (talk) Trade to Kings never confirmed, eventually rejected← Previous edit | Revision as of 23:20, 24 January 2006 view source 24.166.6.153 (talk) →BiographyNext edit → | ||
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| Early in the 2005-06 season, Artest requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers. | Early in the 2005-06 season, Artest requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers. | ||
| In January 2006 he was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojakovic. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 23:20, 24 January 2006
Ronald William Artest, Jr. (born November 13, 1979 in the Queensbridge Projects in Long Island City, New York) is perhaps the most controversial American basketball player in the game today. He is currently a member of the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association.
Biography
Artest played college basketball at St. John's University, and was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th pick of the 1999 NBA Draft. In 2002, Artest was traded by the Bulls to the Pacers, along with Ron Mercer, Brad Miller, and Kevin Ollie, in exchange for Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norman Richardson, and a second-round draft pick. He is noted as being arguably the best perimeter defensive player in basketball today, and was voted the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year for the 2003–2004 season.
In spite of his abilities, he has been the subject of much controversy, including being suspended for two games in the early 2004–2005 season by Pacers coach Rick Carlisle after he allegedly asked for a month off because he was tired from promoting an R&B album for the group Allure on his production label. Artest had also been suspended for three games in 2003 for destroying a television camera in Madison Square Garden, and for four games for a confrontation with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley in 2003. Seemingly embracing his controversial bad-boy status, he changed his uniform number at the start of the 2004-2005 season. In past seasons with Indiana, he had worn the number 23. For the 04-05 season he wore the number 91; a tribute to Dennis Rodman, another controversial basketball player from the 80s and 90s. After being suspended for the remainder of the season due to his involvement in the Malice at the Palace, Artest changed his number yet again, and started the 2005-2006 season wearing the less conspicuous number 15.
On November 19, 2004, Artest was the focal point of a rather intense fan-player brawl in Auburn Hills, Michigan against the home team Detroit Pistons. It began when Artest gave a hard foul to Pistons center Ben Wallace as Wallace was putting up a shot. Wallace responded by shoving Artest, leading to an altercation near the scorer's table. Artest avoided most of the altercation and laid down on the scorer's table. Wallace threw a towel at Artest after Artest taunted him and pretended to give a radio interview at the scorer's table. Reacting to Wallace throwing something at Artest, John Green of West Bloomfield threw a cup of beer at Artest, hitting him. Artest jumped into the front-row seats and confronted a man he believed to be responsible (who turned out to be the wrong man), which in turn erupted into a brawl between Pistons fans and several of the Pacers. Artest returned to the basketball court, and punched Pistons fan A.J. Shackleford, who was apparently taunting Artest verbally. This fight resulted in the game being stopped with less than a minute remaining. Artest and two teammates were suspended indefinitely the day after the game, along with Wallace.
On November 21, the NBA announced that Artest would be suspended for the remainder of the season; with 73 games remaining in the regular season plus the playoffs, this is the longest non-drug or betting related suspension in NBA history. Eight other players, four Pacers and four Pistons, received suspensions, without pay, that ranged from one to thirty games in length. Further consequences, both in the NBA and with the law, are expected for both players and fans. Artest lost approximately $5 million in salary due to the suspension.
Early in the 2005-06 season, Artest requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers.
In January 2006 he was traded to the Sacramento Kings for Peja Stojakovic.