PHOENIX – Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest said yesterday he can’t wait to visit the Philippines and will seek out relatives of his half-Filipino son Jerron during his week-long trip starting Aug. 9.
“I’m looking forward to the tour,” said the 6-7 Artest who phoned from Indiana. “I grew up around Filipinos a lot. I have a lot of Filipino friends. Mama Mimi (Raquid) – she’s like family to me. She’s arranging to bring me over to Manila. I’m excited to meet my Filipino fans. I’ll do parties, mall appearances. I’ll sign autographs. I’ll sing my new rap song ‘Champion’ with my own band. I’ll do camps – maybe, two, depending on what Mama Mimi can set up.”
Artest, 30, said he’s open to do product endorsements and film commercials.
“I don’t know if there’s any interest for me to do things like that but I’m willing,” he said. “This trip isn’t just for me, it’s for the fans.”
Raquid, a Filipina who lives in Los Angeles, said Artest negotiated the visit on friendly terms.
“Ron wants to help out the promoters,” said Raquid who assigned the organizing rights to Auty Villarama’s Waffle Marketing. “We’ll only be paying for one-way plane fares from Beijing to Manila. Ron himself is taking care of the rest. That’s how he is. He told me he shouldn’t be the only one benefiting from this tour. He wants the promoters to get something out of this trip, too.”
Artest said he’s coming from Beijing, where he will promote the Chinese sports brand Peak, to Manila with his sons Ron III, 11, and Jerron, 8, publicist Heide Buech, manager Ji Lee and three rap singers with his band called The World-Wide Warriors.
“I’m hoping to meet Jerron’s Filipino relatives,” said Artest. “His uncle is a music producer. Palma is his surname. I love all my four children. Jerron’s mother brought him up well.”
Artest said during the press conference after the Lakers beat Boston in Game 7 to clinch the NBA title last month, he brought along his children, including Jerron. “It was expensive to get my whole family over,” he said. “But that’s okay. My mom, dad, little sister, two brothers, wife and four kids – they were with me.”
Artest said winning the championship was special.
“I really wanted it,” said Artest. “I don’t think we could’ve done it without Kobe (Bryant). Late in Game 7, he was doubled but even if he could’ve taken the shot and made it, he chose to pass the ball. We were all ready to take the shot if the opportunity came. Kobe passed it to me and I was ready like we all were. The three-point shot I made wasn’t a Ron Artest shot. It was a team shot. Any one of us could’ve taken that shot and hit it.”
Artest said Lakers coach Phil Jackson is one of a kind.
“He’s unbelievable,” said Artest. “Coach is the kind of guy who always talks about team play. He keeps us together. He reminds us to play as a team. His record speaks for itself – he’s got 11 titles. Now, he’s going for his fourth three-peat and No. 12.”
Artest declined to comment on where he thinks LeBron James will play next season.
“Where he’ll play is up to him,” said Artest. “That’s not up to anyone to say. There’s nothing you can do about it. LeBron will go where he wants to go. As a team, we don’t care where he plays. The important thing is we continue to work hard. I can’t predict what will happen next season, if we’ll win three in a row. All I know is that if we work hard and play as a team, good things will happen.”
While the expectation is the Lakers’ nucleus will be retained for next season, a few changes down the line are in the works. Guard Steve Blake whom Artest described as “a great player” has reportedly signed a $16 million four-year deal to join the team.
Artest said his agent Lou Taylor will not join the group in the trip.
According to Raquid, Artest plans to do promotional work in Japan and Korea before moving to Beijing and finally, to Manila.