Ron Artest takes honest introspection to a new level for a
professional athlete. Before his Lakers met his former team, the
Pacers, Artest was frank about his immature behavior
when he played in Indiana from 2002-06. "A coward, I was a coward," he
said. "When you do coward stuff, you feel like a coward. I don't care
if it was done intentionally or by mistake, you're still a coward. I
don't care how young I was. That's not an excuse."
Artest conducted a memorable interview after the Lakers beat the
Celtics in Game 7 of the finals in June, when he credited his
therapist for keeping him grounded. He further explained Wednesday
that he wasn't tough enough to overcome his mental problems during his
younger days.
"There's no question those [mental-health issues] played
a role," he said. "I just wasn't mentally strong enough to deal with
adversity, deal with things not going my way, not strong enough to not
throw an elbow [at Pistons guard Rip Hamilton] when [Game 6 of the
2004 Eastern Conference finals] was tied. ... That's why it's so hard
for me to forgive myself for that time in my life. It sticks with me.
It sticks with me."
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