One-on-one with former Indiana Pacers great Metta Sandiford-Artest (Ron Artest) during NBA All-Star weekend
INDIANAPOLIS — Metta Sandiford-Artest was back in Indianapolis this weekend. The former Indiana Pacers star hung around for several All-Star events, and he got his weekend going by getting involved in the community.
Metta, formerly known as Ron during his playing days with the Pacers, spent his Thursday afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium, where he participated in NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service. He volunteered with a large group that packed one million meals for the Indiana community.
"It's great, man," Sandiford-Artest told AllPacers of being back in Indianapolis. "Just being here in Indiana means a lot."
Sandiford-Artest spent three full seasons with the blue and gold and parts of two others. At his best, he was a terrific talent. He was named the Defensive Player of the Year for his performance in the 2003-04 season, and he was an All-Star in that same campaign. His low moments were crushing, though, including his involvement in the altercation between the Pacers and Detroit Pistons, as well as fans, during the 2004-05 season. He served an 86-game suspension as a result.
Prior to that moment, his ascent as a two-way player was striking. He grew into an offensive force while pairing it with best-in-the-league level defense. Even after his lengthy suspension, he still had multiple successful seasons.
"I had my greatest season here," Sandiford-Artest said of his time with the Pacers. "Me being defensive player of the year, which is the number one award here until somebody wins the MVP. And that's been held for 20 years so I'm hoping somebody takes that over."
Now back in Indianapolis, the 44-year old wants to do all of the activities he's never done before. He shared with AllPacers that he wanted to go stargazing, for example, by driving at least 40 minutes outside of Indianapolis. That night, he went to the All-Star Tip-Off event just outside of Gainbridge Fieldhouse in a new plaza outside the arena.
"I'm really interested in just doing a couple normal things in Indiana," Sandiford-Artest said. "Visit the NCAA [Hall Of Champions], which I've never been [to]. So I'm going to do that. I'll go drive past the Indy 500. Never seen that. So there's a couple things I want to do."
Sandiford-Artest did briefly return to Indiana after his playing days, but his relationship with the state is complicated. He was a part of the team that may have been the best in Pacers history — they won a franchise-record 61 games in then-Artest's best season in 2003-04, and they were a title contender in the early 2000s. Those teams were electric as Indiana icon Reggie Miller played out the final seasons of his career.
In 2004-05, which some believe is the year the Pacers had their most talented roster ever, Artest played a major role in the Malice at the Palace. He was suspended for the rest of the season, and several other players became involved after the scene escalated with Artest running into the stands. Jermaine O'Neal and Stephen Jackson each were suspended for 15+ games.
That moment changed everything for the Pacers, which is why Sandiford-Artest's relationship with Indiana is rocky. But he was warmly received during All-Star weekend. Beyond the Tip-Off event and community work, the 17-year NBA pro attended the All-Star game and was one of several former Pacers players honored, and he even played in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday night.
Sandiford-Artest was cheered on by the crowd at both events. "What a great week at All Star," he tweeted on Tuesday.
After playing in the NBA from 1999 through 2017, Sandiford-Artest transitioned to coaching. He joined the staff of the Los Angeles Lakers G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, with the title of player development coach. During his playing career, he expressed interest in coaching one day.
During his conversation with AllPacers, Sandiford-Artest shared that he still chats with current Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who was the head coach for Artest's final 2.5 seasons with the blue and gold. "Absolutely I keep up with Rick," he said. "My coaching style is like Rick's a little bit. Me and Rick talk throughout the year."
Sandiford-Atest's relationship with the current Pacers doesn't stop there. He still keeps up with the team and is a big believer in the current group. Despite not watching them day-to-day, the New York native likes what he sees.
"This year, they're having a pretty solid year," he shared. Then, when asked about star guard Tyrese Haliburton, Sandiford-Artest's mood shifted.
"He'll probably take an MVP," he said of Haliburton. "I'm looking forward to the Pacers doing everything that I wanted to do when I was here."
Haliburton was the face of the NBA over the weekend. He was everywhere during the All-Star festivities and represented the Pacers well. After Sandiford-Artest shared his belief that the star guard can be the league's best player one day, the former Defensive Player of the Year added that he, too, could have been that.
"I felt I should have been MVP the year I got suspended. The year before that, me or Jermaine O'Neal should have got MVP. So [the Pacers] should have had an MVP," Sandiford-Artest said. Kevin Garnett won Most Valuable Player that season and O'Neal finished in third, though had the second-most first-place votes.
"We had 61 wins. Jermaine was the best on our team. If you're not going to give it to Jermaine, you've got to give it to me. We should have won a championship," Sandiford-Artest continued. "There [were] a couple of things that we should have had. I'm looking forward to the next wave of the Pacer players to [exceed] what we did. Some Defensive Players of the Year. Championship. MVPs. And get to see it live."
Since retirement, Sandiford-Artest has coached, started a talent management company, and stayed involved in sports. He's been busy. This weekend, he was even busier, with constant appearances and a wishlist of activities he wanted to do.
Sandiford-Artest enjoyed it all. "I had so many memories being back in Indiana," he shared.
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