NBA

Ron Artest Almost Choked A Guy Last Night

Two weeks ago Ron Artest auctioned his championship ring and raised $500,000 for mental health charity, and some of us started wondering, “What happened to the old, crazy Ron Artest we’ve come to know and love? You know, the one who drank cognac in the locker room, who attended practice in a bath robe, who rushed into the stands and punched out a fan?”

Well, don’t fret. He’s back…sort of.

Artest half-choked Shawne Williams in the Los Angeles Lakers victory over the New York Knicks Sunday. The contest had barely even had a chance to get heated before Artest went for his opponent’s throat less than six minutes into the game. He put his hand around Williams’ neck, but seemed to think better of it about halfway through and removed it before squeezing. This shows a marked sign of improvement from the Artest who said this, regarding punching a fan in 2004:

“It wasn’t my fault. … I don’t see anything I could have done different. The only thing I could have done was have God pause time so I could have said, ‘Oh, look, you’re about to run in some stands, so stop.’”

Whether it was because God paused time, and said “Oh look, you’re about to choke a guy, so stop,”  Artest’s thinking started to kick in before his emotions got the best of him. Maybe the Lakers forward really has turned the corner. Still, he received a technical foul for his actions. Watch below.

[h/t Big Lead]