Ron Artest first thanked everybody in his hood after game seven of the 2010 NBA Finals. Shortly thereafter on his list came his psychiatrist.
In early September, Artest stated that he would never put the ring on his finger and instead give it away for the benefit of mental health charities.
Artest wasn't talking crazy at all. He's doing it. Artest will be raffling the ring, which he is set to receive on Oct. 26 when the Lakers begin their season against the Houston Rockets, on his website, www.ronartest.com.
Raffle tickets will cost two dollars, with a minimum purchase of five tickets, and the raffle will take place on Christmas day, when the Lakers are scheduled to face the Miami Heat, ESPN Los Angeles reports.
The proceeds will first go to Artest's charity Xcel University, but will ultimately be given two charities, one national and one in Los Angeles, which promote support and awareness for mental health illnesses.
Artest may be outspoken about his struggles with mental illness, but he's the exception, not the rule in that regard. He believes that there is a severe stigma associated with mental illness and seeking help, and hopes to erase such issues. He even recently visited California schools to talk about the state's new mental health programs.
Auctioning off his ring may be just a relatively small act in the crusade against the stigmatization of mental illness, but it's hard to believe that it will be Artest's last such endeavor. Now that he has his NBA ring — even if he never actually will — helping young people with mental health problems seems to have become his calling.
