Metta Sandiford-Artest spent 17 eventful seasons in the NBA, winning the 2010 championship with the Los Angeles Lakers along the way.
Sandiford-Artest made a name for himself as a gritty, non-nonsense defender who took part in some infamous on-court incidents but also scooped the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004.
After he retired following his second stint with L.A., the forward worked with the South Bay Lakers as a player development coach during the 2017-18 season. However, the 42-year-old has said he is only at the beginning of his coaching career.
Sandiford-Artest has told SNY’s Ian Begley his goal is to coach an NBA team — and lead it to a championship, having not satisfied his hunger for glory while playing in the league:
“I’m definitely trying to be a head coach one day in the NBA. I’m not really forcing it. I do have a couple people reaching out to different teams. But one day, I would love to be a head coach in the NBA. I still got a lot of unfinished business in terms of winning. Because of how I got suspended, I missed out on All-Star Games, I missed out on All-Defensive First Teams, I missed out on more championships. So I’m still motivated. … I’m just as motivated as I was when I was a 15-year-old kid in the streets. One day I do wanna win a title as an NBA head coach. That’s my intentions.”
L.A.’s defensive-minded forward Stanley Johnson said earlier this year he would love to work out with Sandiford-Artest in the future. Johnson’s words suggest there indeed might be demand for the Lakers great’s basketball knowledge.
Sandiford-Artest speaks about mental health awareness
At the beginning of April, Sandiford-Artest appeared on Crypto.com Arena’s court to speak about his mental health struggles as part of Mental Health Awareness Day.
The former NBA forward has been campaigning for greater mental health support for players and their families for several years.
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