At first, Ron Artest didn't want to appear in Penthouse magazine.

"I was going to shy away from it, with all the bad press I'm getting," the Indiana Pacers forward said. "But they gave me the opportunity to talk about my family and charities . . . things people don't know about me."

Artest will be featured in the December issue, which hits newsstands Oct. 25. He is shown on the cover with three bikini-clad women.

The interview reveals his gentler side. Of Pacers president Larry Bird, he says, "God put us together for a reason. He says he'd give up his salary for a year if 20 other millionaires would do the same to help poor people. And he agrees with Bill Cosby that poor African-Americans aren't doing enough to help themselves."

Artest also suggests that he and Ben Wallace box on pay-per-view for $10 million.