LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – Forward Ron Artest achieved a long-cherished dream when he officially signed a three-year contract with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers yesterday.
The 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, free agent Artest had agreed terms with the Lakers last week after playing the 2008-09 season with the Houston Rockets.
“This has been a long time coming,” Artest, 29, said after being introduced to the media at the Lakers training facility in El Segundo.
“I’ve always wanted to be a Laker. Not coming out of college when I wanted to be a (New York) Knick but as I started to compete against the Lakers and against Kobe (Bryant).
“I have great respect for him and I always wanted to be a team mate of his. When I was on other teams, the liking for Kobe went out the door. I always wanted to compete and try to win the games.
“But for the last couple of years, at the back of my mind, I really wanted to be here,” added Artest after being presented with a Lakers jersey emblazoned with the number 37.
A veteran of 10 seasons in the league, he will join 11-times All-Star Bryant and Spanish forward Pau Gasol on a high-quality Lakers team widely tipped to win further NBA titles in the next few years.
