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Fiery forward (and musician in his own right) Ron Artest signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers last night, and while the deal’s important numbers to most people were probably 18,000,000 (the amount of dollars he’ll receive) and three (the number of seasons he signed for), I’m more intrigued by the digits he’ll wear on his jersey: 37. Why?
No, it’s not a tribute to inaugural Mets manager Casey Stengel; apparently Artest wants to pay a nightly tribute to the number of weeks that Michael Jackson’s Thriller held the top spot on the album charts, thus extending the Jackson tributes at the Lakers’ homebase the Staples Center to at least the Lakers’ first home game this season. As far as I know, that’s the first time a player in any major sport has given his number over to someone else’s Billboard chart achievements, but I may be wrong on that point. (Chris?)
Artest, Brown Sign Contracts [Inside The Lakers; HT Keeping Score At Home / CSTB]
Ron Artest To Bring Michael Jackson Back To The Staples Center
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Man, search me! I think that’s gotta be unprecedented. Good for him.
His MJ tribute song is quite beautiful…in a Ron-Artest-is-nuts kind of way.
You know, the day after MJ died, I heard a Diddy, Chris Brown and The Game tribute song. I haven’t heard it since, but thought is was pretty tight, given the quick turnaround.
But I guess the Puffy one has experience writing songs for unexpectedly dead superstars…
also, he apparently wants to be known by his middle name “Bill” now.
This isn’t the first time Ron-Ron has chosen a music-related jersey number. His old 93 was a Souls of Mischief reference. Truth!
@JeffReguilon: Sweet, but how can you not include a link to the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mt3vZHDiM8
/Laker fan who’s a little scared about having Artest on the team