NBA player Ron Artest is auctioning off his championship ring won during last year’s title run with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Artest appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live” Wednesday night to kick off the auction and to publicly credit therapy for turning his life around.
The diamond-encrusted ring is expected to bring more than one-million dollars to fund mental health services for youngsters unable to afford counseling. Artest, once thought of as an NBA bad boy, has now become an advocate for therapy, telling kids in trouble that “there is no shame in asking for help.” He’s also backing the Mental Health in Schools Act, which would create a 200-million dollar fund for on-site counseling for students with mental health problems.
Artest was labeled by many as a thug in 2004 when he flipped out, jumped into the stands and punched a fan during a game that got out of hand in Detroit. He was suspended from the NBA for 76 games and lost millions in salary. Later, while playing for the Sacramento Kings, Artest landed in court following a domestic dispute, and a judge ordered him into a counseling program.
During his post-game celebration earlier this year after the Lakers won the championship, Artest thanked everybody in his “hood,” his wife, and his “psychiatrist.” That’d be Dr. Santhi Periasamy who isn’t actually a psychiatrist, but a licensed psychologist who began working with Artest in 2008 when he was a member of the Houston Rockets. Artest later admitted to CNN that, quote, “I don’t know the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist.”
