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NBA's Ron Artest: I Drank Hennesy At Halftime of NBA Games
Ron Artest, the often-controversial Los Angeles Lakers’ forward, told a magazine interviewer he used to drink alcohol at halftime of NBA games.
“I used to drink Hennessy … at halftime,” Artest said in an interview with The Sporting News, which is publishing the story in its Dec. 7 issue. “I [kept it] in my locker. I’d just walk to the liquor store and get it.”
Hennessy is a French cognac.
Artest said he drank while he played for the Chicago Bulls, where he played for his first three seasons (1999-2002). He has since played for Indiana, Sacramento, Houston and the Lakers.
Artest told the Sporting News that he has tamed his admittedly wild lifestyle, but still likes to “party and I have fun.”
“When I was a 19-year-old father, whew. I was a single pimp! I was wild,” he told the magazine. “A lot of marijuana and alcohol — even before [that age]. … I [still] party and I have fun, but not like I used to. I used to drink every night and party every night.”
Known by many as one of the NBA’s most unpredictable personalities (he recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in nothing but underwear), Artest also shared his thoughts candidly on many other topics:
- On why his marriage with the Pacers (where Artest played from 2002-06) never worked out: “I could’ve stayed at Indiana my whole career, but I said I wanted to be traded. I was getting more stable, but I was still unstable and I was a bad teammate. They had to get rid of me.”
- On the brawl in Detroit, which cost Artest 73 games and $7 million in salary: “It wasn’t my fault. … I don’t see anything I could have done different. The only thing I could have done was have God pause time so I could have said, ‘Oh, look, you’re about to run in some stands, so stop.’ “
- On Ben Wallace, the Pistons center whom Artest fouled hard to ignite the brawl that included fans in the stands: “I see Ben, I’m on my guard now. I’m always in the mood to fight him. … I’ll get suspended 10 games, 15 games (because) I’ll just fight him right there. It won’t go into the stands.”
- On the reason for the Rockets’ loss to the Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference playoffs: “(Referee) Joey Crawford basically said, ‘Who cares about the Houston Rockets? Kobe Bryant is on the floor.’ “
- On his plans to eventually try professional boxing: “I started training two years ago. In four years, I’m going to try to have my first fight.”
