(ThyBlackMan.com) Although a lot of focus was on the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery last month and likely number one pick Zion Williamson, it is also the 20th anniversary of 1999 NBA Draft. Among the interesting things about the 1999 NBA Draft was that it eventually had nine NBA players drafted that became All-Stars and had one of the building blocks of the San Antonio Spurs success during the 2000s and 2010s in second round pick Manu Ginobili, who was taken with the next-to-last pick in that draft. There is no question that one of the most recognizable names from that NBA Draft is former NBA forward Ron Artest who is also known as Metta World Peace. May 31, 2019 was the broadcast premiere of the Showtime Sports Documentary Film, Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story and it is a quality watch.
The story starts with a focus on 1980s New York and the infiltration of crack and how the crack epidemic was a major situation. Drug dealing, gang violence, and police encounters were almost normalized within the story and the focus was on the New York borough of Queensbridge, the home of Ron Artest. When hearing about Artest’s childhood living in a Queensbridge apartment with his parents in a volatile environment, it definitely strikes a chord as Artest and his father, Ron Artest, Sr., are interviewed and he describes the hectic circumstances of the childhood that led to the personality of a future NBA player. The domestic violence between his parents and the physical nature of his dad towards him on the court were also described in vivid detail.
One of the more interesting parts of the film is when Ron Artest is celebrating a huge basketball game win in high school and goes into the stands to celebrate with family and friends from Queens. He describes many of the big life moments that contributed to that raw emotion at the time, the death of his 2 month old sister, the birth of his own child as now teenager father, and the incarceration of his brother on drug trafficking charges.
The various people who are interviewed during the film often paint Ron Artest as misunderstood, intense, and sometimes violent. His college head coach at St. John’s, Mike Jarvis, described a time when Artest’s anger led to him throwing a typewriter into a wall where it stuck into the wall. Several prominent rappers from Queensbridge like Havoc, N.O.R.E., and Capone, Artest’s cousin, are featured and they often described the fierceness of their neighborhood, the daily challenges of growing up there, and the musical and athletic talents of Queensbridge natives. Some of the interviewees with NBA backgrounds like former Indiana Pacers front office executive Donnie Walsh and Artest’s former Pacers teammate Jermaine O’Neal spoke of the unpredictability of Artest’s personality.
It was with the Indiana Pacers that he started going to see a team-recommended therapist, which he was hesitant to do but he liked better than taking prescribed medication. The description by Artest and some of his Pacers teammates of the infamous 2004 Indiana Pacers-Detroit Pistons game, known as the “Malice At The Palace”, where players and fans fought in the stands is incredible as well. There is a moment of brevity when the Indiana Pacers escape from the chaos of the stands and the court back into the locker room when Ron Artest asks his teammates if they all will “get in trouble” for what happened and his Pacers teammates look at him in bewilderment. There is also a focus on what Artest meant to the Lakers winning the NBA championship back in 2010 along with his unique relationship with Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. The notable thing about Artest winning the NBA championship was that he thanked both his neighborhood and his psychiatrist in a postgame interview full of earnest emotion.
Ultimately, Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story is not just a journey about making it to the NBA from a tough childhood. It is about a person understanding and battling his mental challenges, trauma, and attempting to get his mental health in order. It is a mental health journey throughout and includes various quotes from Artest’s psychiatrist regarding trauma and mental health. It is valuable and worth the slightly over the 100 minute watch that it is.
Staff Writer; Mark Hines
