I was watching Sportscenter this morning and they had an interview with Ron Artest. This guy is so full of himself, it’s disgusting.

I can’t find the interview online anywhere, but basically he said that people shouldn’t be surprised about his negative attitude. He says he’s just a product of the environment that he grew up in. That he grew up with “thugs and gangsters, not Donald Trump.” And how he’s ticked that the Olympic team for 2008 thinks that he’s too “ghetto” to represent the United States in the Olympics.

Hey Artest, did you ever stop to think that maybe it might not have everything to do with your kick-a-fan’s-ass-during-a-game skill? That maybe, just maybe, there are other people in this world that play basketball better than you do? Heard of a guy named Lebron James? Shawn Marion? Paul Pierce? Camelo Anthony? Think about it… even if you could argue that one of these guys is close to the level of skill that you are, none of them bring the “I’m better than all of you” attitude to their teams. Who wants that? I believe the “problem” that we had with our Olympic team in 2004 was that there were too many superstars on the team that couldn’t work as a TEAM. No team even wants you on their team. All you do is bitch and complain. Complain about managmeent, complain about not getting the ball enough, complain that you aren’t getting enough endorsements.

Come on, Artest. Most of us didn’t grow up with Donald Trump, and I’m guessing a number of guys in the NBA also grew up with “thugs and gangsters.” No one though, is using it as an excuse. Take some responsibililty, get your ass on the court, and start proving that you’re a great ball player.