Jeff of Inside Hoops, the editor of InsideHoops.com, in a Ron Artest rap video

OFFICIAL RON ARTEST GO LOCO VIDEO

The Ron Artest “Go Loco” official video is here:

RON ARTEST GO LOCO OFFICIAL VIDEO FILMING

By Jeff Lenchiner

ron artest go loco rap video

I’ve been visiting Los Angeles since 2011 NBA All-Star weekend in mid February and have enjoyed wild, fun adventures during my extended time in Hollywood. And just when I thought this week, which already featured three straight days of Playboy parties, including two days at the Playboy Mansion, couldn’t get any more interesting, I stumbled into getting cast as a giant panda in the new Ron Artest rap video for his song “Go Loco.”

Relaxing in a trendy hotel lounge in Hollywood Tuesday evening, I ran into famous rapper Fat Joe and his manager Macho, who I know well thanks to the wonderful world of street basketball. (Be sure to check out the great EBC Rucker Park streetball documentary “The Blackout,” featuring Fat Joe, Jay-Z and more.)

Fat Joe, it turned out, was there to film a rap video. I wound up getting invited to attend the taping, and headed downstairs to the video set in legendary exclusive spot Beacher’s Madhouse, for a Ron Artest song called “Go Loco.” Celebs on set for the shoot included Joe, B-Real of Cypress Hill, actor and basketball fan David Arquette, TV host George Lopez and others. Artest and fellow Los Angeles Laker Matt Barnes came later in the evening, a bit late after edging the Phoenix Suns in an intense triple-overtime thriller.

Also on hand for the Artest video shoot were several little people (the video features an area identified by a sign as a “Midget Bar”), a few other interesting characters, and a large heap of very pretty girls who were very good at shaking all sorts of body parts in a wide variety of directions.

Most of the Go Loco filming taking place that night focused on Artest and others relaxing in the club, bouncing around to the song’s beats. I mostly stayed in the back with friends of the rappers by the bar area.

As hours went by with most of the video successfully filmed, celebs and their friends called it a night, leaving me and a fairly small handful of people hanging out to watch until the very end. “Final set,” yelled one assistant.

A producer then came to me and asked how I’d feel about wearing a giant panda costume. I assumed he was kidding and that it was his way of telling me to move or get out. But he was serious; it was in the script. Very few guys were left in the room at the time, and the wearer of the costume had to be tall, so there were actually very few candidates. I stand 6-3 and could handle it.

Faced with a choice, I could call it a night and leave with no involvement in the video, or rock a panda costume in a club.

How could I pass on such a prestigious opportunity? I said yes.

jeff lenchiner

I’ll leave it to you to check out how the video turned out, but I will describe my scene: A flock of hot girls, a giant chicken and a panda bear (me, the editor of InsideHoops.com) enter the nightclub. And… that’s it. The rest got cut.

The video was fun. Check it above.

Rockets sign Mike Harris to 10-day contract

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed forward Mike Harris to a 10-day contract.

Harris (6-6, 235, Rice) returns to Houston after playing in China with the CBA’s Shanghai Sharks. The former Rice standout actually began this season in training camp with the Rockets before being waived on Oct. 18, 2010. Overall Harris owns NBA career averages of 3.0 points and 2.6 rebounds in 30 prior games with Houston and the Washington Wizards. He has also played in the NBA D-League with the Colorado 14ers (2006-07) and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2009-10). In 2009-10, Harris averaged a league-leading 27.1 points (.582, 363-624 FG), 10.5 rebounds (third in D-League), 1.9 assists and 1.18 steals in 34 games (31 starts) with Rio Grande Valley, guiding the Vipers to the 2009-10 D-League championship. He was also named NBA D-League MVP and earned First-Team All-NBA D-League honors last season.

Harris will wear jersey #33 with the Rockets. Houston’s roster currently stands at 15 players.

Nets recall Ben Uzoh from D-League

The New Jersey Nets have recalled rookie point guard Ben Uzoh from the Springfield Armor (D-League), Nets General Manager Billy King announced today.

Uzoh appeared in four games with the Armor, three starts, and averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.25 steals in 33.3 minutes.  He shot .609 (28-46) from the field and had his best outing at Sioux Falls on 3/22 when he tallied 27 points, 12-14 FG’s, nine rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes.

In 32 games with the Nets this season, the Tulsa alum is averaging 3.4 points and 1.4 assists in 9.1 minutes.  He tallied a career-high 18 points in 22 minutes at Houston on 2/26.

Lakers edge Suns in 3OT

The AP reports:

Kobe Bryant scored a season-high 42 points, Ron Artest got five of his 18 points in the final 2 minutes of the third overtime, and Los Angeles outlasted Phoenix for a 139-137 victory Tuesday night in an enormously entertaining rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals.

“I wish we would have put them away when we should have,” said Lamar Odom, who had a season-high 29 points and 16 rebounds while playing over 55 minutes filling in for suspended center Andrew Bynum. “But we found a way to win, and that’s all that matters…

“We really needed this game,” said Phoenix’s Channing Frye, who had a career-high 32 points and 14 rebounds. “This one hurts.” …

Gasol added 24 points and 13 rebounds in just the Lakers’ fourth triple-overtime game since they moved to Los Angeles in 1960. The Lakers hadn’t hosted a triple-OT game since 1969.

The stakes were higher for the 10th-place Suns (35-34), who are scrapping to return the playoffs. Steve Nash had 19 points and 20 assists, while Marcin Gortat added 24 points and 16 rebounds in the Suns’ fifth loss in seven games.