Ron Artest, Fitness Guru

As the NBA enters another golden age of thuggery, it's high time we check in with some of the elder statesmen of this movement. What about Ron Artest? What's going on with the man who attacked a fan in the stands, never really apologized, and then showed he'd learned nothing by tossing Trevor Ariza's sneaker into the seats during play?

Turns out Mr. Artest is the subject of a feature in the upcoming issue of Men's Fitness, a publication devoted to workin' out, burnin' cals, and stayin' alive. A press release from the magazine offers a sneak peek, including a few typically indispensable quotes, covering topics that range from our nation's diet to what he likes about staying fit and healthy. Two highlights:

On Why he Made a Rap Song About Working Out...
"I'm an athlete, and I rap. People ask me 'Why [did] you make a song like that?' Because that's what I do. I work out"

On his Childhood Friend Lamar Odom's Sweet Tooth...
"It's cool for me to see him eating candy because it reminds me of when we were young, but it's not healthy at all."

But since it's Ron Artest, a man once feared by thousands and best-known for perpetuating an act of violence on national television, there's also some stuff on the maturation of Artest (thanks, Jersey Shore, for making it impossible to use his "Ron Ron" nickname ever again).Here's what the Lakers forward has to say about the difference between his personality then and now:

"When I got to the NBA, I always made a conscious effort to never change and kept my hood mentalityIt was erratic to a lot of people from the outside. So I had to find a way to stay true and not be so erratic. People know I'm a good person, so they take me for what I am now. I just want them to see somebody that they can always relate to. That's real important."

To Artest's credit, he has managed to reinvent himself as silly, lovable, and erratic in a good way. Few players in any sport are in the kind of shape he is; the man plays hard, apparently works out just as hard, and feels himself then able to play even harder because of it. Still, it is interesting that the most famous NBA brawler of his generation is now being held up as model for fitness, strength and power.

I guess that's why they asked him how he's changed -- to remind people that today, Artest being this stacked doesn't mean he's a menace to society or the National Basketball Association.