Oscar Wilde said that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.  In short form, everyone can change and the powers of redemption are great.

In 2004 in Auburn Hills, Michigan, fists were flying. So were cups, plastic bottles and even a chair in one of the ugliest NBA brawls ever — and Indiana’s Ron Artest was right in the middle of it.

Artest and Stephen Jackson charged into the stands and fought with fans in the final minute of their game against the Detroit Pistons.  The brawl forced an early end to the Pacers’ 97-82 win.

Officials stopped the game with 45.9 seconds remaining after pushing and shoving between the teams spilled into the stands once fans got involved by throwing things at the players near the scorer’s table.

It all started when Detroit’s Ben Wallace went in for a layup and was fouled hard by Artest from behind. After being fouled, Wallace wheeled around and pushed Artest in the face. The benches emptied and punches were thrown.

Just when it appeared tempers had died down, Artest was struck by a cup and beverage thrown from the stands. He jumped up and charged into the stands, throwing punches as he climbed over seats.

Fans were punching back, and Jackson and another teammate joined Artest in the melee.

The repercussions led to nine players being suspended without pay for a total of 146 games, which led to $10 million in salary being lost by the players. Five players were also charged with assault, and all five were eventually sentenced to a year on probation and community service. Five fans were also legally charged, and John Green, who threw the cup at Artest, received a lifetime ban from attending Pistons home games. The fight also led the NBA to increase security presence between players and fans, and to limit the sale of alcohol.

Ron Artest suspension was for the remainder of the season, 86 total games and his missed salary was nearly $5 million.

Ron Artest, last week, hoisted the trophy as NBA champion.  Three teams and six years later the man who was vilified and a cautionary tale of what not to do had made a number of big shots and played good defense in helping the Los Angeles Lakers win title number 16.

It is hard not to recognize the fact that he is very eclectic in nature and the tone of his post game interview gave us more indication of that.  There is no explaining the depths of Ron Artest.  He thanked his family, his doctors and even thanks his Psychiatrist who he says helped him relax and not feel so much pressure.

Then amongst all of the celebration Ron Artest gave a glimpse into his soul for just a few seconds when he reflected back to 2004 with this statement,

“When I was younger, I bailed out on my Indiana team. I was so young, so egotistical, and I bailed out on Donnie, Larry, Jermaine, Tinsley, Foster, who never bails out. He just fights for you, for his team. Stephen Jackson who already had a ring, continued to fight for us, et cetera. I feel sometimes like a coward when I see those guys, because it’s like man, I’m on the Lakers and I had a chance to win with you guys, and I feel almost like a coward. I never thought God would put me in this situation again because of that.”

He recognized, his youth, his mentality and named some of the people he hurt.  It’s not quite the “12 steps” but folks, he’s seeking redemption.  He put his voice to it after he just realized a dream that his 2004 team couldn’t realize in large part because of him.  Then he recognized that he thought his penalty would be to never win a championship.

God and forgiveness does not work that way.

Artest, once vilified much like Michael Vick, Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, Ben Roethlisberger, Pete Rose Jose Canseco and countless others have to learn to manage through their flaws and try to be better.  For guys that should never be hailed as heroes in the first place there is a lot to learn from watching a guy fall flat on his face and work like hell to get back up.

Forgiveness is one of the most important characteristics in life because it is the only thing that allows everyone to grow through tough times.  The person who perpetrated the wrong can grow, the person wronged can grow and the people on the outside observing can grow in life lesson and forgiveness lessons.

The most important thing we can do in life, many times, is to let go, let it be, move on and experience victory.  The past is valuable, the future bright but the now is all we can manage.

As my grandmother would say, “You can’t have rosy thoughts about the future while your mind is still full of blues about the past.”

Oscar Wilde said it best, “Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future” and that couldn’t be any truer.

Go live your future now!