First it was Ron Artest. Then it was Metta World Peace. What's next for the newly acquired Knicks forward?
World Peace, who signed a two-year deal with New York on July 16, told sources that he plans to change his name once again now that he's playing in his hometown.
"We are going to do a name change, but I can't tell you what it is," World Peace told an interviewer with ClevverNews, according to ESPN.
A video of World Peace discussing the name change can be found here
World Peace added that he wasn't going to change it legally again until he retires because it becomes "too much work." World Peace, formerly legally known as Ron Artest, changed his name back in 2011 because he hoped to inspire people and bring youth together around the world.
World Peace is a native of Queens, and the 6-foot-7 former defensive player of the year is excited to be coming home, no matter what name he returns under.
"The team is amazing, the players," Word Peace said back on July 15 while attending the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas according to the Washington Post. "I'm excited to play and hustle."
World Peace was waived by the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month. The Lakers used the amnesty clause to create salary cap space. He will make $7.7 million this season.
World Peace said he's "excited to play with the players" when he first agreed to terms with the Knicks who came calling soon after the Lakers waived him. The Knicks skipped over World Peace in the 1999 NBA draft, and he landed with the Chicago Bulls as the 16th pick. After a 14-year career that spanned through five different teams, World Peace is finally a Knick.
World Peace, 33, won the NBA Championship with the Lakers in 2010 and the defensive player of the year award in 2004. He averaged 12.4 points-per-game in 75 regular season games and six points-per-game in the 2013 playoffs as the Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in four games during the opening round.
No matter what name he's under, World Peace is excited for an opportunity to play in his own backyard, and more importantly with the talent the Knicks possess.
"I'm just excited," he told the New York Times earlier this month. "I'm more excited to play with the players than I am to be in New York City."
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