Ron Artest: Top 10 Strangest Moments from Ron-Ron's NBA Career

Ron Artest has had an impressive 12-year NBA career. He won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004 and ranks as one of the league's elite defenders.

Artest is also one of the truly unique individuals in the NBA. He is crazy, he is hilarious and he is unpredictable. 

This slideshow focuses on the bizarre moments rather than the scary ones. The Malice at the Palace, his most referenced moment, is not included.

Here are the top 10 strangest moments from Ron Artest's NBA career.

Agree? Disagree? Did I leave any off the list? Please share your comments below.

The hardest thing about writing this article was narrowing the list down to only 10 moments.

Here are the honorable mentions that didn't make the cut:

- Following the Lakers 2010 championship, Artest went on the Jimmy Kimmel Show wearing only his boxers.

- Artest's crazy hairdos. He once carved "Tru Warier," the name of his record label, into his hair.

- While with the Kings, Artest offered his salary to teammate Bonzi Wells and coach Rick Adelman.

- While a member of the Pacers, Artest once showed up to practice wearing only a bathrobe.

After Trevor Ariza turned down a multi-year contract offer, the Lakers signed Ron Artest in July 2009.

Artest agreed to a five-year deal worth about $32 million and announced that he would be wearing jersey No. 37.

Why 37?

Because Michael Jackson's album Thriller topped the charts for 37 straight weeks.

Ron Artest was absolutely giddy when the Lakers won the 2010 championship. All of his hard work paid off and he made a huge shot to help clinch the victory in Game 7.  

He was so excited to win his first NBA championship that he...raffled off his ring?

By auctioning his ring, Ron Artest raised over $500,000 for a charity that focuses on assisting high-risk youth with mental illnesses. 

Ron Artest and Kobe Bryant both got a little heated during the 2009 Western Conference Semifinals. 

After being elbowed in the throat by Kobe Bryant, Artest pointed at Kobe and made a gesture at his throat. He was tossed from the game, but his postgame interview is far more memorable than his actions on the court. 

When asked about the play, Artest had the following to say:

"I understand it’s the playoffs. I remember when I used to play back home in the neighborhood. There was always games like that. I remember one time, there was one of my friends playing basketball, and it was so competitive that they broke the leg from a table, and they threw it and it went right through his heart and he died. Right on the court. So, like, I’m accustomed to playing basketball really rough, you know what I mean?”

Yes, Ron, we know exactly what you mean…

Link to Video

Being an NBA player has a lot of perks. Unfortunately for Ron Artest, those perks could not help him purchase electronics at a discount. 

As a rookie with the Bulls, Artest applied for a job at Circuit City in an attempt to take advantage of the employee discount. 

Artest supposedly wrote "NBA player" as his prior job and listed Bulls president Jerry Krause as a reference. 

Ron Artest is not unique in pursuing a rap career on top of a basketball career. NBA players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant have also produced albums.

What makes Artest unique is that he wrote his song, "Champions," a year before the Lakers won the title. Did he know that he would play a big role in winning that title?

Compared to other players (i.e. Kobe Bryant), Artest actually doesn't sound too bad.

Link to "Champions" Music Video 

While a member of the Sacramento Kings, Artest was accused of mistreating his animals. Many neighbors had been complaining that there were dogs on the loose who were not being fed.

One of his dogs was apparently described as a "rack of bones" and his dogs spent a total of 77 days at the pound because of poor care.

Years later, Artest teamed up with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to encourage dog and cat owners to have their pets spayed and neutered. 

Link to Video of PETA Interview

Ron Artest is not only an aspiring rapper, but also a producer.

During the 2004-2005 season, Artest allegedly asked for a month off because he was exhausted from promoting an R&B album that he produced.

Artest's request was met with a two-game suspension from Pacers' coach Rick Carlisle.

Kobe Bryant was completely distraught when the Lakers lost to the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals.

Following the game, he was so disappointed that he stayed in the shower by himself. Kobe heard someone walk in and assumed that it was a teammate, but it was none other than Mr. Ron Artest.

“I want to come help you,” Artest said. “If I can, I’m going to find a way to come to LA and give you the help you need to win a title.”

Kobe claims that he still has no idea how Artest got into the locker room.

While with the Lakers, Ron Artest did an insightful interview with the Sporting News. He confessed that, while a member of the Chicago Bulls, he drank alcohol during halftime of NBA games.

Artest said: "I [kept it] in my locker. I'd just walk to the liquor store and get it."

Also in the article, Artest mentioned that he was still ready to fight Ben Wallace—the player who pushed him from behind and instigated the "Malice at the Palace" debacle.

Wallace's response: "He said he wanted to fight me? You all need to check and see if he's still drinking."

If you have not witnessed the video of Ron Artest's Game 7 NBA Finals press conference, you are truly missing out.

Favorite quotes include:

"I definitely want to thank my doctor... my psychiatrist, she really helped me a lot."

"Come to the club tonight and bring the cameras...I just can't wait to go to the club!"

"Kobe passed me the ball! Kobe never passes me the ball!"

Link to Press Conference Video

Link to Doris Burke Interview Video