The pro basketball player who seemed the poster boy for anger problems now wants to reflect World Peace--literally. A Los Angeles Lakers player wants to legally change his name from Ron Artest to Metta World Peace. Artest is also starting a comedy club tour, playing comedian: No, the the two are not related.
"Metta" is a Buddhist term. One definition for the word is "a strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others." True to his lifelong list of contradictions, Artest says "It's [Metta] Buddhist, but I'm Baptist."
First Ron Artest had an anger problem to get under control -- which threatened to flare out of control during the infamous "Palace Brawl" in 2004 and later came to a head while the pro player was with the Houston Rockets. Then Artest transitioned to the Lakers and things got, well, better. Not perfect -- but much, much better. Artest sought some aid from the mental health profession and had been in therapy -- and that professional help seems to have worked. It's obviously worked to some degree, anyway, because now Artest is trying to promote World Peace.
While some kids battle the concept of having two last names, it seems Ron Artest is more than ok with it: Apparently ‘Metta’ will be his first name and ‘World Peace’ will serve as the basketball player's last name. Someone's going to have to make some room on that jersey.
Papers have already been filed offically with Los Angeles County Superior Court. While NBA players need to file papers with the pro basketball league in order to change their actual jersey number, nothing's required for name changes in the league. As long as the Lakers itself provides a thumbs-up for the name change, Ron Artest can switch out that name that currently appears on his jersey.
Maybe there's a psychological aspect to the switch. Seeing the new moniker may get the Lakers player in less trouble with the refs. Who can argue with Peace, after all?
According to Ron Artest: "I changed my name because I got tired of Ron Artest, he's a [expletive]," said Metta World Peace. "And when fans get mad at me, they can't say, 'I hate World Peace.' "
Artest wouldn't be the first pro basketball player to change his formally-official name: Other NBA players with previous name changes include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (formally Lew Alcindor), Bison Dele (formally Brian Williams) and Mahmud Abdul-Raff (formally Chris Jackson). Ron Artest is due back in court for a name-change hearing, for the switch to Metta World Peace, in late August 2011.
In more recent years, the 31-year-old Artest seems to have had a personality turnaround. Now it seems the Laker's looking to become a different personality altogether.
Artest has become a big proponent of mental health. In December 2010, Artest raffled off his 2010 Lakers championship ring to bring in more than half a million dollars -- or about $600,000 -- for various mental-health service providers. Then in Spring 2011, Artest received the NBA's citizenship award for the 2010-11 season.
The Lakers player is also looking to become a funny man -- and though it may seem related to his wish to change his name to 'World Peace', the events just happen to coincide. Ron Artest just appeared on-stage at the Hollywood Improv in July 2011. In fact, Artest's hosting a four-city comedy tour -- despite the fact the basketball player's never been on a comedy club stage, ever.
Artest told the Los Angeles Times: "I know two jokes, then I guess I'm going to wing it" on the comedy circuit. According to the L.A. Times, comedy practice sessions for the new 'Metta World Peace's" consisted entirely of hearing comedy acts on his car's satellite radio.
"I always embarrass myself, anyway," World Peace told the L.A. Times, so what's the big deal? So I'll be booed. Awesome. How many people have a chance to get booed. I want to get booed." Yes, Ron Artest is unique.
It's the "Ron Artest Ultimate Comedy Tour" -- for which Improv comedy club founder Budd Friedman provided some thoughts about the future 'World Peace': "He [Ron Artest] is the least respected member of L.A.'s losing basketball team, adding "He [Artest] is one of the worst rappers ever." That might be funnier if it was true.
The worst rapper award actually goes to another (former) Lakers player, Mr Shaquille O' Neal himself. No pro basketball player could be a worse rapper -- so Artest's jump to comedy is at least less hard on the ears. Maybe not less hard on the brain, but less physically excruciating to hear. At least three pieces of video continue to circulate with Shaq's attempts at rapping over the past half of a decade. There's the impromptu, on-bus Shaquille O' Neal 'rap' of 2006 that instantly proves the basketball player is tone deaf. Shaq went 'pro' in 2006 with his 'professional' foray into the music world with the Lakers player's "I know I got Skillz" 2006 rap video. While Shaq was apparently sure of those 'skills', the rest of the world remained unconvinced.
It all (thankfully) ended in 2008 with Shaq's freestyle club rap insulting Lakers' Kobe Bryant. Fortunately things have since fallen silent -- but that may be coinciding with Shaq's career.
For a mind-numbing experience into 'comedy', watch the Ron Artest video performance of 'World Peace' performing comedy at the Improv.