The potential Ron Artest to the Houston Rockets trade may have gotten off on the wrong foot over comments made by Artest's potential teammate, Yao Ming, about Artest's stormy past.
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"Hopefully, he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands," Yao said, according to the Chronicle.
When asked about those comments, Artest said Yao had bought into "all the propaganda" about him, according to The Sacramento Bee.
"I understand what Yao said, but I'm still ghetto," Artest said, according to the report. "That's not going to change. I'm never going to change my culture. Yao has played with a lot of black players, but I don't think he's ever played with a black player that really represents his culture as much as I represent my culture. Once Yao Ming gets to know me, he'll understand what I'm about.
"If you go back to the brawl, that's a culture issue right there," Artest added, according to the report. "Somebody was disrespecting me, so he's got to understand where I'm coming from. People that know me know that Ron Artest never changed."
Link.
What an embarrassment. There are millions of African-Americans who would be offended to hear Ron Artest try to speak for them and what their "culture" is. To label fighting / brawling as a cultural norm of black people is, to me, offensive. Ron Artest is a thug, as demonstrated by the brawl, the allegations of animal abuse / malnourishment, and the domestic violence directed towards his girlfriend. Those are Ron Artest issues, not "black" issues.
I'm sure the Rockets are glad to hear that Artest has no regrets.
And yes, this probably touches on some political issues, but since it's sports related, I have no problem discussing this. Just please tread lightly, and avoid rhetoric at all costs.