When Artest Met Kobe ... in a Shower

Before Ron Artest became Kobe Bryant's deputy in Los Angeles -- heck, even before Ron Artest became Yao Ming's deputy in Houston! -- the new teammates had a close, intimate encounter in the bowels of an arena. Via The Lakers Nation, John Ireland of L.A.'s CBS 2 News retells a story about the time Ron-Ron visited Kobe in the shower after an NBA Finals game.

Apparently, after the Lakers got blown out of the building in a championship-clinching Game 6 in Boston in 2008, Artest (then a King, watching from courtside as a fan) made his way into the visitor's locker room. Kobe was alone in the shower when Artest burst in, promising Kobe he'd be a Laker soon, and he'd help him win another championship. Kobe didn't call for security. He found it ... endearing. (This is why the Mike Bibby-Artest partnership never worked. Bibby would have pulled out the pepper spray.)