Say goodbye to Ron Artest and HELLOOOO to Metta World Peace ... Mr. Metta World Peace to you.

Yes, Ron is going the way of Cassius Clay, Lew Alcindor and Chad Johnson. Ron's filed a petition in L.A. County Superior Court to change his name to -- World Peace.

FYI, metta means loving, kindness, happiness and all that jazz.

We're told Ron wants to put the new last name -- Peace -- on the back of his L.A. Lakers' jersey.

These name changes are typically granted by a judge unless it would result in confusion or fraud.

Hey, give Peace a chance.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/06/23/ron-artest-world-peace-name-change-los-angeles-lakers-l-a/

http://sportschump.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/ron-artest-fight.jpg

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/artestandkobe.jpg

This reminds me of Lloyd Bernard Free who played in the NBA in the 70's and 80's. In 1981 he changed his name to World B. Free. :crazy:

LOVED World B. Free. Among the teams he played for was my hometown Cleveland Cavs. As for this new name change, who is a bigger embassador for peace than Ron Artest? :crazy:

I was thinking World B. Free and World Peace could make a record together. They could do a parody of "We Are the World" and call it "We Are the Worlds"! :lol:

I wouldn't be surprised if LeBron changes his name also.


http://bigeastmeadow.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/world_b_free.jpg
WORLD B. FREE

http://www.gacksports.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ron-artest-lakers-psd32073-300x300.png
WORLD PEACE

http://static.product-reviews.net/wp-content/uploads/lebron-james-miami-heat-jersey.jpg
(What A) WONDERFUL WORLD

:lol: Since he will always (at least in his own mind) be known as "The King" - I think he's now even freakier than THIS "King"!!!

How about Peace O. Sheet?

or Effin A. Whole

Or what he is most commonly referred to:

Doosh Bagg

(spelling has been changed to protect the innocent, unless you are in the stands near Artest- then you are fair game)

So, Mike, how do you REALLY feel? :crazy: :lol:

Say goodbye to Ron Artest and HELLOOOO to Metta World Peace ... Mr. Metta World Peace to you.

Yes, Ron is going the way of Cassius Clay, Lew Alcindor and Chad Johnson. Ron's filed a petition in L.A. County Superior Court to change his name to -- World Peace....

It's not really a proper comparison to mention Clay and Alcindor in the same sentence as Artest and Chad Johson.

Clay and Alcindor changed their names because of what they believed in (Islam).

But Artest and Chad Johnson are just plain nuts.

I wouldn't be surprised if LeBron changes his name also.


http://bigeastmeadow.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/world_b_free.jpg
WORLD B. FREE

http://www.gacksports.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/ron-artest-lakers-psd32073-300x300.png
WORLD PEACE

http://static.product-reviews.net/wp-content/uploads/lebron-james-miami-heat-jersey.jpg
(What A) WONDERFUL WORLD



lol, good one!

LOVED World B. Free. Among the teams he played for was my hometown Cleveland Cavs. As for this new name change, who is a bigger embassador for peace than Ron Artest? :crazy:


Yup, he got around (played for 5 teams altogether).

Free was most famous as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers... in fact, as much as Miami was expected to win the NBA title THIS season, the 76ers were heavy favorites to win in 1977, when they acquired Dr J... he joined forces with guys like George McGinnis and World B Free (then known as Lloyd Free) to create a "super team".

That Sixer team took a 2-0 lead in the NBA finals against Bill Walton and the Blazers, but then dropped 4 straight.

At the beginning of the following (77-78) season, the 76ers famous slogan was "We owe you one!" (meaning, they let a championship get away, and they now "owed" the fans a title.

"We owe you one" became "We owe you two", "We owe you three", etc... The 76ers finally won a title in '83 thanks to the acquisition of Moses Malone.

Free was not afraid to shoot the ball!

Ahh, the good old days back at Richfield Coliseum - the days I can barely remember!! World B. Free, Larry Nance, Mark Price...all team players and good guys. I wonder how the Cavs' coach back then, Lenny Wilkens, would've handled the likes of LeBozo and Artest??? :eek:

Ahh, the good old days back at Richfield Coliseum - the days I can barely remember!! World B. Free, Larry Nance, Mark Price...all team players and good guys. I wonder how the Cavs' coach back then, Lenny Wilkens, would've handled the likes of LeBozo and Artest??? :eek:
I didn't know that Lenny Wilkens had coached the Cavs! I remember him for his years as coach of the Seattle Supersonics!

Wilkens played with 4 teams in his 15 year career, he spent 8 years with the Hawks, 4 with the Sonics, then 2 with Cleveland and his final season with the Blazers in 74-75. He was a 9x all star.

He was definitely an old school player and coach. He knew the game and was an excellent teacher. He's been inducted into the Hall of Fame both as a player and as a coach. He also was MVP of the '71 All Star game (although that award should have gone to Kareem, who made all of the big plays down the stretch in a 108-107 West win. The award was voted on before the game ended. Wilkins scored 21, Jabbar had 19 and 14 rebounds, and scored the winning points and blocked a couple of shots in the final minute as well).

Tough to see a guy like that coaching today. When he played, there weren't any long-term guaranteed contracts. Most players worked in the off season to make ends meet. Today's players coming into the NBA are (if they play their cards right) set for life financially before they ever play a game. They've been told since they were 10 years old that they can do no wrong on a basketball court. What can you teach someone who already knows it all?

Wilkens would be an outstanding coach in any era... the question really isn't about him, it's about how "coachable" today's players are. Especially the guys that came out of high school (no longer permitted) and the one-and-done college players. The best of the best still want to learn, and know they have a lot to learn, but a guy like WIlkens would have to get guys that want to learn. There aren't as many of them around any more. Evidence is the number of specialists who can only do one thing. Teams have designated 3 point shooters (who can't put the ball on the floor), rebounders (who can't shoot), defensive specialists who can't shoot, shooting guards that can't pass...

Wilkins could coach today...I don't think he'd want to. He's easily a top 10 coach of all time. btw, he was a player-coach for 3 years in Seattle and also during his final NBA season in Portland.

I didn't know that Lenny Wilkens had coached the Cavs! I remember him for his years as coach of the Seattle Supersonics!

Yup, he coached the Cavs from 1986-93. :cool: