NBATabloid Fodder

Explicit Photos Of Someone Who May Or May Not Be Ron Artest Were Published Last Night

Ron Artest would appear to be a likely candidate for having a picture of his penis strewn across the internet.

He’s shown questionable judgement in the past (this), is active enough online that he probably exchanges messages with female fans on a fairly frequent basis, and is comfortable enough with his body that he once approached Kobe Bryant to have a serious conversation while both men were naked in a shower.

This is a man, you’d say, who might text a girl a picture of his penis.

And text his penis he (allegedly) did. Artest engaged in a prolonged SMS courtship with a college student (and self-described Oklahoma City Thunder fan) who appeared to not be interested in him. She apparently kept it going because, well, an LA Laker was texting her.

The anonymous woman, who published a piece yesterday on Deadspin detailing her correspondence with Artest (unluckily for him, she’s studying journalism), originally connected with him via Twitter. After some direct messages were exchanged, he gave her his phone number. They started texting (pretty frequently, it looks like), and the conversation (at least on Artest’s end) eventually turned to sex.

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After having his electronic advances repeatedly rebuffed by the young woman, Artest eventually played his ace in the hole: a picture of his penis. He sent it to her, and she sent it to Deadspin.

The why (as in “why did this girl send the photos to a website?”) is somewhat unclear, and at this point, irrelevant. Maybe it was to teach him a lesson about unwanted SMS advances. Maybe it was because she had an explicit picture of a famous guy, and it was too much to keep to herself. Or maybe it was just because.

At this point, at least for Artest, it doesn’t matter: the pictures are out there, and although he’s taken the familiar stance of “that isn’t mine,” the photos appear to have been sent from his cell phone, according to Deadspin.

Artest is not married, and does not have the type of public image that would be hurt by this type of controversy. There will be no Brett-Favre-level fall from grace. For now, it would appear that the only thing Ron Artest has to deal with are the reviews, which are pouring in.

[Ron Artest’s Strange Sexting Saga] Deadspin

Image via Getty