Basketball Star Pledges to Give Big Chunk of Salary to Charity
December 10, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Ron Artest of the National Basketball Association champion Los Angeles Lakers has promised to give a large chunk of his $6.79-million salary this season to mental-health charities, ESPN and the Los Angeles Times report.
Mr. Artest said Wednesday that “either all or some” of his 2011-12 pay would be donated and that he would reveal the amount after the season, on July 1.
Since the start of the current season, the forward has raised nearly $500,000 for charity by offering his 2010 NBA championship ring in a raffle, the winner of which will be announced on Christmas Day.
In interviews and speeches Mr. Artest has talked openly about his own therapy and struggles with mental-health problems, and he has been active on the issue since his 2005-8 stretch with the Sacramento Kings, when he began organizing counseling sessions for young people.
