Ron Artest wants to be called Metta World Peace – NBA Update
Los Angeles Lakers small forward Ron Artest, who is best known for triggering the most infamous scuffle in the history of National Basketball Association, has now tagged yet another unusual identity to himself.
The 31 year old Artest has decided to change his name and has filed the desired paper work in this regard. The unusual thing about his new plan is the name he wants to be called with.
According to the sources, Artest’s lawyer has filed a formal request in Los Angeles Superior court to change the name of Lakers star player to ‘Metta World Peace’ which is rather bemusing.
The documents that were filed with the petition states that Artest wants to change the name due to some personal reasons and any further information was not catalogued. The court has given the eccentric forward till 26th
August to consider the request. If he does not withdraw the request, it will mean that Metta World Peace will appear on the back of his jersey in the next season.
American Sports players’ making a change to an unusual name is not a new thing. Lloyd Bernard Free, who was drafted by Philadelphia 76ers in 1975, legally changed his first name to Word in 1981 and he was called as World Bernard
Free after that.
In the National Football league, Chad Johnson of Cincinnati Bengals also filed a petition to change his last name to Ochocinco in 2008, a request which was approved later on. Ochocinco is a Spanish word which means ‘eight five’
in the language.
This time, it’s the Los Angeles Lakers experienced forward Artest who has decided to change his complete name and wants to be called as Metta World Peace.
Mitch Kupchak, Lakers general manager said on Ron’s changing his name, "It brought a smile to my face. It's been done before. ... So, other than that, I don't really have a comment."
Artest had some wavering moments throughout his career. The small forward helped the franchise to land their second successive NBA championship in 2010. He received an award that year in April for his outstanding work and service
for the community.
However, Artest is best associated with the famous brawl in 2004 when the Lakers were playing against the Indiana Pacers. Ron jumped into the stands during the game and attacked one of the fans. As a result, the Lakers’ forward
received suspension for the rest of the season.
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