Space City exclusive interview with Rockets’ reporter Vanessa Richardson

What were your thoughts on seeing former Indiana Pacers forward Ron Artest in a Houston Rockets uniform?

It was weird. He’s so deeply embedded in my memory as an Indiana Pacer. He was with the Pacers when I was in elementary school, so you always remember guys that were with your team when you were super young.

You just always remember them for being with your team. When alot of people think of Ron Artest with the Pacers, they think of the brawl. Ron Artest was great in Indiana and was super fun. He was dynamic on the floor, and has certainly had an interesting career and life post-Pacers.

He’s one of those guys that will always be fun to watch regardless of what uniform he’s in.

Speaking of your Pacers ties, who do you root for if the Houston Rockets face off against the Pacers?

As a reporter, you always want the teams you’re covering to do well, because it’s fun. It’s fun to cover a deep playoff run. When I covered the Astros this year, it was so fun to be in those champagne-soaked clubhouses.

To hear those guys in the clubhouses talk about why they felt like they could win it all was really fun. You’re always going to root for the team you’re covering, in that sense. But you also have certain loyalties embedded in you, so that would be a difficult one for me.

I would probably have to plead the fifth, but just know it would be very hard for me.

What have been your thoughts on the Mexican food in Texas compared to the Mexican food in Indiana?

So this is the most Indiana/midwestern thing ever, and people who are from Houston are going to make fun of me when they read this. But I honestly thought I had already had really good Mexican food until I moved here and had the real thing.

It’s the very reason why I’ve joined fitness classes and started running more. The food here is amazing and the Mexican food is authentic. There are so many different food trucks or family run restaurants, including Molina’s, Los Tios, and even Paparruchos.

So I’ve had alot of good Tex-Mex, and enough will never be enough for me.