Artest explains radical name change
Don't let the look fool you. Ron Artest is now Metta World Peace.
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All Ron Artest is saying is give peace a chance, the New York Post reported Thursday.
And if there is an NBA season come this fall, fans just might see that unusual surname on the back of Artest's purple and gold Los Angeles Lakers jersey.
"It's all about positive energy," the bruising forward said Tuesday night in his first comments since filing court papers to put the Metta World Peace name-change in motion. "I'm just trying to make a difference, get positive energy out there."
Artest, the former St. John's star better known for his prominent role in the ugly and infamous "Palace Brawl" in 2004, appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week to officially change his name.
Artest said he was simply trying to be creative when he opted for the name change, though he added that there was not anything in particular that gave him a reason to do so. "Peace," he said, was the first word that came to mind. "Metta" is a Buddhist virtue of kindness.
While it might seem like a leopard trying to change his spots, the Queensboro, N.Y., product who won an NBA title with the Lakers in 2010, has done his best to be a positive role model in recent years.
Last December, he raffled off his championship ring, raising $600,000 for various mental-health organizations. Two months ago, he received the NBA's citizenship award, as voted by pro basketball media members.
Perhaps next there will be a Nobel Peace Prize. "I figured it was a good way to be positive," Artest said.
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