Ron Artest Thanks His Shrink for Lakers' NBA Finals Win

1 year ago

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Don't tell it to Roy Hobbs, but shrinks can help athletes. At least that's what Lakers forward Ron Artest said when he thanked his sports psychiatrist on camera immediately following the Lakers' Game 7 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Artest began seeing a psychiatrist when he played for Houston, more than a year after he charged into the stands at Detroit and set off one of the worst brawls in NBA history.

And after thanking his family on Thursday night, he smiled and gave his psychiatrist her due. "She really helped me relax a lot," he said. "Thank you so much. It's so difficult to play. ... There's so much emotion going on in the playoffs, and she helped me relax. I thank her so much."

Going by the numbers, Artest didn't have a remarkable series, averaging 10.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. But he pestered the Celtics' best offensive player, Paul Pierce, and then exploded for 20 points in the Game 7 clincher. Most important, throughout the tense, hard-fought final, he didn't lose his head.

Filed Under: Surge Desk

Tagged: Celtics, lakers, NBA, nba finals, NBA Finals 2010, psychiatrist, ron artest, ron artest thanks psychiatrist

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