“I admire the kid."
—Hall of Famer Larry Bird

"He is a very sweet guy, a caring guy."
—Former Pacers GM Donnie Walsh

"There’s certain lines you don’t cross when you’re dealing with a man who came up like he did, and who’s been through the trials and tribulations like he did in his life."
—NBA veteran Stephen Jackson

"He wants to be the best player in the game. That’s what drives him. That's what motivates him."
—Jackson

"He can score offensively, but number one, he's a defensive stopper."
—Former NBA head coach Don Casey

"Once he gets a defender going to the basket, he’s tough to guard."
—Casey

"Ron plays with with a passion that’s uncontrollable."
—Former Knicks GM Isiah Thomas

"He’s unique. One of the purest individuals you’ll ever have a chance to meet. Other than winning basketball games, there’s no agenda whatsoever."
—Thomas

"He’s in love—in LOVE—with basketball."
—Thomas

"The Beast intimidates a lot of guys."
—NBA veteran Ron Mercer

"Remember how Pete Rose took out the catcher in that All-Star Game? Ron would d the same thing. I mean this in a good way—but he’s maybe a little nuts sometimes."
—Former teammate Brad Miller

"Ron lives for the game…he is thinking about basketball every minute he’s awake."
—Miller

"Ron isn’t afraid to say, ‘J-O, you gotta drop down, you gotta box out.' Because he knows I’m going to take that out of respect."
—All-Star Jermaine O’Neal

"He has a chance to make things right, and I think he’s going to do that."
—O’Neal

"If he had his head together, he could be a Hall of Fame player."
—ESPN analyst Jay Mariotti

"I love Ron Artest."
—Hall of Famer Michael Jordan

"He’s got so much intensity and such drive—I wish I could have played against him."
—Former NBA great Bill Cartwright

"When somebody brings that much energy to the court, it's beautiful."
—Cartwright

"I can’t give him any more love. I’ve given him too much juice already."
—All-Star Paul Pierce

"Ron’s like Jim brown was a running back—when people tackled him, they got physically punished."
—Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle

"If there is any fear in your heart, you will be afraid of that guy."
—NBA veteran Marcus Fizer

"He has a tremendous fear of failure."
—Former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla

"A lot of guys in the league don't like to be touched. He's going to touch you."
—NBA veteran Aaron McKie

"Hopefully he's not fighting anymore and going after a guy in the stands."
—All-Star Yao Ming