Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace aka Metta Sandiford-Artest was a pivotal piece in the Los Angeles Lakers' title run in 2010. The Lakers brought the feisty 6-foot-6 swingman in as reinforcement as they went on their quest to defend their championship from 2009.

Upon his arrival, though, Artest did not exactly make a great first impression. During one of his first practices sessions with the team, the outspoken former Defensive Player of the Year winner talked so much smack toward Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant that Phil Jackson had to step in.

Via Tania Ganguli and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:

“One day in practice I just disrupted the whole practice because I didn’t want them to think, Metta’s on this team, he don’t got a ring, we got a ring, he just gotta come in with the ultimate respect,” said World Peace, whose Houston Rockets team lost to the Lakers in the 2009 playoffs. “It was still a lot of respect, but I had to — I just wanted to compete. I just got finished losing against these guys.”

He talked trash to Bryant and to Jackson, behaving as if he was an opponent, not a teammate. Eventually Jackson tried to defuse the situation.

“Ronny, that’s enough,” he said.

Obviously, Artest wanted to prove that he was no pushover, and he wanted to earn their respect after losing to the Lakers in the 2009 playoffs as a member of the Houston Rockets.

Knowing Bryant, he likely did not back down from Artest's trash talking, and perhaps the exchange got too heated for Jackson that the coach felt he had to finally intervene. All is well that ends well, however, as Artest went on to win his one and only NBA title with the team that very year, playing a key role in the process.