Phil Jackson confirms confrontation with Ron Artest
Ron Artest is back.
Not the Artest you loved, but the one you feared.
The famously troubled star, who is notorious for his short-temper and intimidating antics, has once again stolen the spotlight. This time it’s come in the form of
a confrontation with Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson.
Artest, who played a major role in winning the Championship ring for the second time in a row with the Lakers, has failed to mark this time around. The dynamic forward
has been struggling this season, scoring at an average of 7.5 points per game only. Jackson on the other hand, also seems to have the problems mounting by the day. With Lakers uncharacteristically
struggling to make a solid start, things are getting testy for the under-fire coach.
Overseeing his star-studded team put in listless performances day in and day out, Jackson has been very vocal in public about his team’s shortfalls. No player, not
even Kobe Bryant has been spared. While every member of the Lakers outfit has absorbed the slack, Artest seems to be less tolerant about Jackson’s public comments about him this season. The
6ft 7in forward finally gave in to his discontent and confronted the coach at a practice session, and the message was loud and clear; Stop embarrassing me in public.
Prior to the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Lakers coach Phil Jackson confirmed the incident.
"That's not accurate, but it's close to accurate," Jackson said. "It was not a loud confrontation; it was a man-to-man confrontation. And it was obviously out of
character for that to happen at practice and for Ron. And it wasn't about embarrassing him publicly; it was about some of the issues that had been brought up that have focused about him."
Jackson however downplayed the intensity of the confrontation and added that neither he nor Artest were loud during the incident. Jackson said, "It
was direct, but it wasn't loud." The legendary coach said that the issue has now been closed, as Artest has apologised to him for the outburst.
"Ron came in and apologised not only to me, but in front of the team for what he said was a distraction at practice," Jackson said. "That was his own desire to do
that; I didn't solicit it from him."
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