In case you missed it, Ron Artest has a new hairstyle. The big distraction entering the marquee matchup between the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers was the bright gold and purple glow atop Artest’s head.

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Artest’s hair, which evokes memories of Dennis Rodman’s crazy dos over the years, apparently has the word “defense” written in Hebrew, Japanese and Hebrew characters — all in Lakers purple (aka “Forum Blue”) on a gold canvas. Here is video of Artest having his hair done (via With-Malice, where Don has more on Ron Ron’s hair):

Of course, this isn’t the first time we have seen Ron with an unusual hairstyle to match his unique personality. Earlier this season he sported some hair-engraving to celebrate his new team, the Lakers.

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And back in 2005, he made his first forray into the crazy hair game, with “TruWarier” being shaved into the back of his head. The move understandably caused a bit of commotion around the league asking if he would be allowed to keep the Anthony Mason-inspired style, but the NBA league office stated that he was not breaking any rules through the do. Here is video of Artest getting shaved down with “TruWarier”:

With all of the attention attracted through Artest’s hair and unconventional ways, both on and off the court, the question is, what is the Ron Artest brand worth? It’s worth remembering how much publicity Dennis Rodman received back in the day for his antics and the resulting endorsements and appearance fees that came along with that. Is Artest in the same league, exposure-wise? Or are his antics too “old-hat”? Is Artest even interested in advertising himself in this way and cashing in on the fame? There are many questions. Give me your views below in the comments.

For comparison’s sake, here is a montage of Dennis Rodman hairstyles over the years — the master of the multi-coloured mop.

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