Forward Ron Artest officially signed a three-year contract with the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

Free agent Artest had agreed terms with the Lakers last week after playing the 2008-09 season with the Houston Rockets.

Artest, the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was presented with a Lakers jersey emblazoned with the number 37.

A veteran of 10 seasons in the league, the 29-year-old will join 11-times All-Star Bryant and Spanish forward Pau Gasol.

Artest also played for the Chicago Bulls, the Indiana Pacers and the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Rockets last season.

His three-year deal with the Lakers is estimated by local media to be worth 18 million U.S. dollars.

(Xinhua News Agency July 9, 2009)