Ron Artest wins NBA service award... Seriously

On Tuesday, the NBA announced Ron Artest as the winner of the 2010-2011 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for outstanding service, by a coach or player, off the basketball court. This is not a misprint. If you haven't paid attention to Ron Ron in recent years, he has come along way since his participation in the brawl in Detroit. The award represents the final degree of the full circle Artest has made in his life over the past few years.

Following the brawl in Detroit, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, 73 games, and viewed as the league's ultimate bad boy, and deservedly so. However, the brawl may have been the seminal moment in his life, as it forced him to seek counseling and address the mental issues which had followed him his entire life.

Artest played one more season with the Indiana Pacers before moving on to the Sacramento Kings and eventually the Houston Rockets. He was a productive offensive player and one of the league's stand out defensive players. However, despite his on the court success, he was still viewed as the crazy guy who went into the stands and started throwing hay makers.

In 2009, Artest signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, a team which had won the NBA title the year before. Lakers' fans wondered how he would affect the team's chemistry. Artest was a model player his first season and helped the Lakers repeat as NBA Champions.

While some pointed to head coach Phil Jackson, a coach well known for handling difficult personalities such as Dennis Rodman, as the reason for Artest's turnaround, Artest let the world know the true genesis of his new attitude in one of the more entertaining and memorable post game interviews you'll ever hear.

Classic.

Thanking his psychiatrist is a memorable moment in Artest's career. What most people aren't aware of, is the amount of work he has put into helping kids who struggle with similar mental health issues. To help fund his charity work, Artest auctioned off his championship ring through a raffle, which brought $650,000 to his cause. He also donates a portion of his salary each year to the charity.

Artest brings celebrity to an issue most people don't understand. His goal: bring awareness to the problem so others can get the proper help to overcome. About his goal, Artest says, "People will be able to reach their potential. There's probably a lot of great mayors and presidents that are in foster care systems that don't have a chance to be president."

Most articles about Ron Artest, like this one, will quickly bring up the brawl in Detroit. Fortunately, Artest has turned his life around and no matter how an article about him begins, it will always end with people talking about Ron Artest, the good guy with a big heart.