Ron Artest's custom Hyundai Genesis likely won't help after embarrassing loss 05/10/2011
It's a tough day for fans of the Los Angeles Lakers, as the defending NBA champions were flat-out embarrassed in their series with the Dallas Mavericks, who swept them in four games to eliminate the team from the playoffs.
No doubt that the Laker players will be contemplating the loss all day today, but small forward Ron Artest can at least take some consolation in his tricked-out Hyundai, which he was recently presented with on an episode of "Lopez Tonight." When Artest was previously a guest on the show, the topic turned to cars, with George Lopez saying that he was a fan of the Rolls Royce Phantom. Artest played things cool and said he only needed a Hyundai.
Ask and Artest shall receive, apparently, as the basketball player was on the show again in March, and this time Lopez had a surprise for him: a brand-new custom-made "Lakers Edition" Hyundai Genesis. The car was tricked out in purple and gold accents on both the interior and exterior. Artest was apparently a big fan of the gift, as he didn't just hide it in his garage either - he was spotted valeting the car at a trendy Los Angeles restaurant by Celebrity Cars Blog.
We're not one to normally kick a man when he's down, and Artest is definitely down the day after the Lakers lost by nearly 40 points in the pivotal game of the series. But Jalopnik called Lopez' gift to Artest "hideous," and we have to kind of agree. There's a reason car companies don't typically offer purple and gold as optional packages. The Lakers floormats are a nice touch, however.
That's not a knock on Hyundai either - it's a testament to the brand's recent reinvention that multimillionaire athletes are now driving around in their cars. The Genesis is undoubtedly a nice car, but even the most diehard Lakers fans might want to stick with the basic color packages.