WATCH: Resurfaced Video Shows Lakers Legend, Who Won an NBA Championship With Kobe Bryant, Get Mobbed by the Fans in the Crowd

NBA legend, late Kobe Bryant, has had many teammates during his long and illustrious basketball career. Among them, former NBA star Metta Sandiford-Artest was one of the most lively ever. During his long career, he played for multiple NBA teams.

He was known for his tenacious defensive style and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2004. During his prime, he was one of the best perimeter defenders. But one thing he was known for was sometimes losing his temper.

NBA fans would very well remember the ‘Malice at the Palace’ like it was yesterday. In 2004, Metta Sandiford-Artest and a couple of his Indiana Pacers teammates went into the stands to confront Detroit Pistons fans. This resulted in the NBA suspending Sandiford-Artest for the remainder of the season. And recently Netflix released a documentary about the brawl.

However, that is not the only time Sandiford-Artest went into the stands and was mobbed by the fans. Interestingly, this happened with the home fans of the Houston Rockets.

Metta Sandiford-Artest has a moment with the Rockets fans before facing Kobe Bryant

A resurfaced video of Metta Sandiford-Artest entering the stands after trying to save a loose ball is doing the rounds on social media. Unable to stop immediately, Sandiford-Artest went into the stands and decided to take a seat. And the fans mobbed him.

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However, it was all fun this time around. The Rockets fans loved him and showered him with love. He just sat there for a moment and soaked it all in.

The Rockets had to take a timeout to bring him back. He was full of smiles going back to the bench and the fans loved it too. This happened in the 2008-09 season when the Rockets faced the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of playoffs. It was the game-6 of the series which the Rockets won 92-76 and moved to the next round.

During the post-game press conference, Metta Sandiford-Artest said, “Well, I have been in the stands before,” and everyone broke out laughing. He continued, “It was home court this time. I wanted to soak it in and I had to sit down.”

“Actually, this guy offered me some beer. When he did that, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna sit down and enjoy this. He is not throwing it at me.’ I would have taken a sip, but there were too many cameras!”

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This was Sandiford-Artest’s first and only season with the Rockets. He brought much-required toughness to the squad, but they lost the next round to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. In the next season, he joined Kobe Bryant and the Lakers and then won an NBA title in 2010.