Max is a long time volunteer turned employee for mindyourmind as a Youth Outreach Assistant. He enjoys blogging, cats, and the state of Utah. Check him out on Twitter: @maxamilli

November 19th, 2004 was a very important day in the life of Ron Artest,  but not for the right reasons. It was the day of the famed “Malice in  the Palace” in Auburn Hills, wherein Artest played a large part in a  massive brawl of fans and other nba players, the climax being Artest  storming into the crowd and punching a spectator. Artest was forced to  sit out the rest of the season on suspension, and was handed a large  fine for his actions. This caused him to reevaluate his life and  confront mental health issues he had been dealing with.

Nowadays Artest is not so much known for the events that took place in  2004, which is monumental considering the aftermath of that evening,  where people branded him as a monster, a thug, and a disgrace to the  game of basketball. Artest is now more known for his colorful  personality, and more importantly his contributions to mental health  charities. He auctioned off his championship ring he won in 2010,  donating the proceeds to charities worldwide, and has become known as  the poster boy for mental health in professional sports right now.

July 1st may be the most important day now in the life of Ron Artest,  for all the right reasons. He’s going to be announcing how much (perhaps all) of his 2011-2012 salary he will be giving away to mental health  charities, which could equal roughly 7 million dollars. The same people  that were branding Artest a monster are now considering him a hero in  the mental health community. It goes to show how someone going and  getting help can lead to them doing so much for a cause, and really  becoming a role model.

- By Max

 Ron Artest Thanking his psychiatrist: