NBA player Ron Artest, who has tested the waters moonlighting as a rapper, has decided to change his name.  He announced yesterday that he had filed paperwork to officially change his name to Metta World Peace.  This might be a move to hype his less than successful rap career, or it could be to raise awareness of world peace. 

"My understanding is 'Metta' will be his first name and 'World Peace' will be his last," spokesman John Black said. "Metta is an early Buddhist word, with various definitions along the lines of kindness or goodwill."

The former NBA Champion is best known for his unsportsmanlike conduct on the court. When played for the Indiana Pacers he stormed the crowd and beat up a Piston’s fan who threw beer at him. Then he pulled similar antics as Dennis Rodman, dying his hair a rainbow of colors and then helping the L.A. Lakers to a Championship.  This past season his bad boy streak came back when he clothes-lined Mavs’ tiny point guard JJ Barea, again showing poor sportsmanship. 

However, those familiar with his personality would find it as no surprise that a name change would invoke peace. He has always advocated giving back to the community. Last year he threw a  barbecue for his old stomping grounds. It featured a performance by Artest, Nas and music by Funkmaster Flex. He also raffled off his championship ring and just this year he was awarded the NBA’s J Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for his community service efforts. 

At heart Artest is also a rapper.  Earlier this year he mixed basketball with his music when dropped a mix tape the same day as his new sneaker line. 

"I was like, 'Wow, we should have the mixtape come out with the shoe.' The shoe came out All-Star Weekend," Artest told Mixtape Daily. "A couple of weeks before that, we had the mixtape come out the same day as the shoe. So we was just having fun with the whole idea of music and basketball. You know athletes like to be rappers; I'm actually doing both, so it's cool."

Tags: ron artest, world metta peace, nba
Categories: Stuff