Ron Artest Joins New Cast of Dancing With the Stars \r
The new cast of Dancing With the Stars has been announced, and it's definitely a mixed bag.
Here are the celebs that will be hitting the ABC dance floor for season 13:
Actor David Arquette (Scream); Chaz Bono the female-to-male transgender son of famed entertainers Sonny and Cher; model Elisabetta Canalis; reality TV stars Kristin Cavallari (The Hills) and Rob Kardashian (Keeping Up With the Kardashians); actor J.R. Martinez; HLN’s legal analyst Nancy Gracy; fashion commentator Carson Kressley; talk show icon Ricki Lake; singer Chynna Phillips; World Cup soccer star Hope Solo; and Los Angeles Laker Ron Artest.
Athletes have long been a fixture on the dance floor at this competition, but Artest told People initially “it was not appealing." Only one person could get the L.A. Laker star to spend his NBA lockout hiatus dancing in costume: his daughter Diamond.
As People reports, the eight-year-old battled cancer when she was just four. Through her entire ordeal, Artest showed her love and support and his involvement in the competition is a tribute to her.
"I had a chance to play basketball overseas and I had a chance to do Dancing With the Stars," he said. "She asked me to do it, and I thought I could dance and raise some money for cancer research. I'm going to donate the profits."
(Photo: Mark Davis/PictureGroup)