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.