Monday, May 31st, 2010 at 11:30 am  |  17 responses

Ron Artest: Regretful About Ending in Indiana

Ron-Ron tells CBS that to this day, he feels remorse about how things ended in Indy: “Artest recently revealed just how scarred he remains from the infamous brawl at the Palace of Auburn Hills in 2004, when he was excommunicated from basketball and branded not only a villain, but also a damaged soul — a castoff not worthy or capable of rehabilitation. And it is worse than that for Artest, who said to this day he feels like a coward when in the presence of his former Pacers teammates like Reggie Miller and Jermaine O’Neal, as well as executives Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh. ‘The biggest regret of my life, really, is bailing out on that Pacer team,’ Artest said. ‘I mean, outside not going to church every single Sunday, bailing out on that Pacer team is my biggest regret. Every time I see Jermaine, every time I see Steve [Jackson] and Jamaal [Tinsley] … I get a little bit of a feeling when I see Bird, because he was such a great player and I respect him so much. So I get that feeling when I see Bird. I feel like a coward. I feel like I don’t even belong in their presence, really.’ The Pacers were coming off a 61-win season and a loss in the Eastern Conference finals when Artest’s career, and the Indiana franchise, were dealt a blow from which it seemed neither would ever recover. As much as the brawl itself, and the 73-game suspension that followed, Artest is ashamed of his behavior in the aftermath — demanding a trade and bailing on his team …  In fact, Artest said he has not once told Walsh, Bird, Miller or anyone else how he feels. ‘Never,’ Artest said. Well, now they know. ‘When I saw Jermaine [this season], I felt like I didn’t even belong in the same room as him,’ Artest said. ‘I felt like a coward. I don’t like feeling like a coward, and I feel like a coward. That’s the biggest regret of my life. Steve Jackson, Jermaine, Jamaal, even Jeff [Foster] — a blue-collar guy like him, put his life on the line for us on the court, and I totally disrespected him. And of course Reggie. I was in a position to win a championship, Reggie was in position, and I bailed out on Reggie. I feel like a coward. A big-time coward. It’s hard for me to even speak to them, hard for me to see them.”‘

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  • Brian Posted: May.31 at 12:45 pm
    Bit late now isnt it?

  • STEVIE GEE Posted: May.31 at 12:55 pm
    It took Ron coming to sacramento to get his head right,for the moment. Kings were willing to give him a chance, in desprate times for him and the kings franchise.He became a beloved fan favorite seemingly overnight.I knew he had some remorse for how it ended in indy,but he needed a change.

  • Enigmatic Posted: May.31 at 12:56 pm
    Just a tad, I think.

  • Gerwin Posted: May.31 at 1:05 pm
    The news would be more interesting if he did not show any regrets. Good thing that he is showing his feelings and not being a total hardass guy by keep yelling that it was not his fault.

  • T-Money Posted: May.31 at 1:09 pm
    The honesty is refreshing. The timing is cute though. Now that he’s going to the Finals and playing in LA, the apology comes. He could have done it when he was down in Sacto or Houston.

  • Michael Tillery Posted: May.31 at 1:56 pm
    He said this two years ago during our interview. Search it.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: May.31 at 2:19 pm
    I’m glad he is saying this. He really is a stand up guy. The Pacers/Pistons brawl, while understandable, really shouldn’t have happened. And I blame the Pistons fans WAY more than any Pacers’ player.
    That being said, that year the Pacers could have won a legitimate title. They had the toughest team on both ends of the floor, and Ron Artest was playing the best basketball of his life. They had everything a team needs to win a championship, and being a fan of Reggie Miller, it’s even sadder to think what could have been… Reggie could have had a ring!

  • Thor Posted: May.31 at 2:25 pm
    Never too late to say stuff like that, co-sign T-money, very refreshing…

  • underdog Posted: May.31 at 4:13 pm
    Water under the bridge.

  • nastierthanu Posted: May.31 at 4:50 pm
    Hey teddy did u go to highschool with reggie or something? I’ve never heard anyone say they’re reggie miller fans. Its good to here that he regrets the brawl. He was not in his right frame of mind. Remember he was tryin to take some time off to promote his album. Hindsight is truely 20/20

  • johnny c Posted: May.31 at 5:16 pm
    i know how he feels, i regret the way i left my ex girlfriend. nice thing is, he can redeem himself and win it all this year

  • The Seed Posted: May.31 at 7:17 pm
    Who cares Ron, just play defense and win a ring, to give your career some balance!

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: May.31 at 11:06 pm
    LOL nastierthanu, nope… No personal “connection” with Miller; I’m just a huge fan of his. I like players that p!ss other fans off.
    But, understand your point–you want to know the weirdest part, though? I’m a KNICKS fan! I know, right? Double standard here.

  • Nashty Posted: Jun.1 at 2:27 am
    I thought he feels like a coward for not stepping up to Big Ben who pushed the sh*t out of him. He just sat there, looked stunned, and then went into the crowd to punch someone who is half his size. Tur Warrior!!

  • Hoopistani Posted: Jun.1 at 6:00 am
    at least he’s man enough to admit when he’s wrong… its awesome that once the biggest thug in the NBA, he has found redemption and is now in the Finals.

  • wayno Posted: Jun.1 at 9:54 am
    Ran away from Ben Wallace…punched (who he thought was) beer throwing fan…whatever, good to hear that he regrets it, but he will forever be infamous in the NBA for that one lapse in judgement and that’s the main thing he’ll be remembered for.

  • IndyB Posted: Jun.1 at 11:04 am
    He should regret selling the team out midseason the following year and asking for time off from basketball to work on his “recording career”. That team would’ve been fine even after the brawl had he not forced that mid season trade. He wanted to be the franchise player and #1 option on offense. He had to go to Sactown to realize that he isn’t good enough to be “that guy”. He wasn’t a coward, his ego just got in the way.

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