Artest's wife carried on her family's fiery temperament, and Artest couldn't get the upper hand. They were taken to the police station, and the news immediately caused an uproar across Indiana, even though it was just a domestic dispute.
But a bruised and swollen Artest insisted on declaring to the media, "I hit her. Her injuries are way more serious than mine."
This led to protests from women's rights organizations across the country. They even organized a protest march in the normally quiet state of Indiana.
Jason Kidd was actually quite familiar with this playbook. He had also hit his wife back in the day, which had also sparked protests. But now, he'd fallen to the point where his wife was the one hitting him.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?"
Su Xi asked Artest in frustration, "Now you're just causing a lot of unnecessary controversy."
The Pacers' staff were trying to persuade Artest's wife, hoping she would be lenient and not press charges against him.
