Metta World Peace UP250
Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr.; November 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name to Metta World Peace in 2011 and later to Metta Sandiford-Artest in May 2020.Artest originally changed his name to Metta World Peace during the 2011 offseason. "I changed my name because I got tired of Ron Artest, he's a [expletive]" "And when fans get mad at me, they can't say, 'I hate World Peace.'" Metta is a Buddhist term meaning "loving kindness".
Sandiford-Artest played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm. He played for six teams in the NBA and gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004, when he was also named an NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors. He won an NBA championship in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sandiford-Artest was a participant in several controversial on-court incidents, most notably the Malice at the Palace, and is known for his sometimes eccentric and outspoken behavior.
