top of page
Metta Sandiford-Artest

Metta Sandiford-Artest is a former professional basketball player who played 19 seasons in the NBA. After playing college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm, he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft, and went on to play for five other teams in the NBA, including The Lakers, gaining a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004, when he was also named an NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors. He won an NBA championship in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers over the Boston Celtics. He has become involved in advocacy relating to mental health issues. In December 2010, he announced that he would donate some or all of his salary for the 2011–12 NBA season toward mental health awareness charities. Artest also auctioned off his 2009–2010 championship ring and donated the proceeds to various mental health charities nationwide. In 2016, he told Sports Illustrated, "Some people don't understand mental health is broad. You have to ask questions. Are you depressed? Are you schizophrenic? Do you have anxiety? Are you bipolar? Those are the different things that come under the banner of mental health.” He is also the author of the best-selling book, No Malice: My Life in Basketball or How a Kid from Queensbridge Survived the Streets, the Brawls, and Himself to Become an NBA Champion.

Metta Sandiford-Artest

bottom of page