51 Facts About Ron Artest

1.

Ron Artest was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name to Metta World Peace in 2011 and later to Metta Sandiford-Artest in 2020.

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2.

Ron Artest played for six teams in the NBA and gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders.

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3.

Ron Artest won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004, when he was named an NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors.

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4.

Ron Artest won an NBA championship in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

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5.

Sandiford-Ron Artest was a participant in several controversial on-court incidents, most notably the Malice at the Palace, and is known for his sometimes eccentric and outspoken behavior.

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6.

Ron Artest played college basketball at St John's University from 1997 to 1999.

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7.

Ron Artest was selected by the Chicago Bulls with the 16th pick of the 1999 NBA draft.

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8.

On January 27,2003, Ron Artest got into a verbal altercation with Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley and flashed an obscene gesture into the crowd and was suspended for four games.

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9.

Ron Artest made the 2004 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve and was named the Defensive Player of the Year.

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10.

Ron Artest wore three jersey numbers for the Pacers: 15,23, and 91.

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11.

On November 19,2004, Ron Artest was at the center of an altercation among players and fans during a game in Auburn Hills, Michigan, between Ron Artest's Pacers and the home team Detroit Pistons.

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12.

Ron Artest missed 86 games, the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history.

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13.

Ron Artest's call for a trade created a rift between him and his teammates.

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14.

However, before the trade could be completed, many press outlets reported that Ron Artest had informed team management that he did not want to go to Sacramento.

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15.

Ron Artest was suspended for Game 2 of the team's first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs following a flagrant foul on Manu Ginobili.

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16.

Ron Artest offered to donate his salary to retain the services of head coach Rick Adelman, whose contract expired after the same season.

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17.

On July 29,2008, it was reported that Ron Artest was to be traded to the Houston Rockets along with Patrick Ewing Jr.

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18.

On October 30,2008, Ron Artest received his first technical as a Houston Rocket, as he raced towards a group of Dallas Mavericks players and then quickly went to Yao Ming who bumped Josh Howard after play stopped.

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19.

Ron Artest was trying to pull Yao away from the play and to the foul line, but contact was made with Maverick players.

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20.

In Game 2 of the second round against the Los Angeles Lakers, Ron Artest, who was battling for rebounding position with Kobe Bryant, was elbowed in the neck by Bryant, which was later ruled to be a Type 1 flagrant foul.

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21.

In Game 3, Ron Artest was again ejected in the fourth quarter after a hard foul on Pau Gasol, who was attempting to dunk on a fast-break.

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22.

Ron Artest chose the number 37 jersey, which he said was in honor of Michael Jackson.

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23.

In Game 5 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals, Ron Artest hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer after grabbing a last second offensive rebound.

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24.

Ron Artest scored 25 points against the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 and went to the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.

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25.

Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace during the offseason.

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26.

Ron Artest received a flagrant foul 2 and was immediately ejected.

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27.

Ron Artest's health worsened to the point where D'Antoni moved him off the perimeter on defense and had him guard power forwards instead.

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28.

Ron Artest underwent surgery that was originally estimated to sideline him for six weeks.

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29.

Ron Artest missed the final game of the series, and later admitted he came back too soon.

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30.

Ron Artest had the ball in his hands with the crowd on its feet for the Lakers' final possession in what was potentially his final game at Staples Center.

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31.

Ron Artest was part of the line-up for the thirteenth season of the reality show Dancing with the Stars, though he finished in last place, being eliminated in the show's first week.

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32.

Ron Artest performed Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Brain" and Katy Perry's "Roar" but did not win.

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33.

Ron Artest appeared in the second season as part of a Head of Household competition.

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34.

Ron Artest published the album on the Lightyear Records label under his own imprint, Tru Warier Records.

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35.

Ron Artest has become involved in advocacy relating to mental health issues.

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36.

Ron Artest has posed for PETA ad campaigns encouraging people to report animal abuse and to have their pets neutered.

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37.

On November 19,2004, Ron Artest was at the center of an altercation among players and fans during a game in Auburn Hills, Michigan between Ron Artest's Pacers and the home team Detroit Pistons.

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38.

Brawl began when Ron Artest fouled Pistons center Ben Wallace as Wallace was putting up a shot.

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39.

Ron Artest walked to the sideline and lay down on the scorer's table.

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40.

All told, Ron Artest missed 86 games, the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history.

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41.

Ron Artest lost approximately $5 million in salary due to the suspension.

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42.

On March 5,2007, Ron Artest was arrested for domestic violence, and excused from the Sacramento Kings indefinitely by GM Geoff Petrie.

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43.

Ron Artest spent only 10 days in the jail, as the judge stayed 10 days of the sentence, and served the remainder in a work release program.

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44.

In 2007, Ron Artest was forced to relinquish ownership of his dog, a Great Dane, for malnutrition and neglect.

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45.

Ron Artest's publicist, Courtney Barnes, said that World Peace chose Metta as his first name because it is a traditional Buddhist word that means loving kindness and friendliness towards all.

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46.

Ron Artest wore just his boxer shorts in an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

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47.

Ron Artest then went to Santhi Periasamy, a psychologist who helped him turn his life around and whom he thanked publicly when the Lakers won the 2010 championship.

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48.

Ron Artest put a brother through law school and became a grandfather with the birth of his eldest daughter, Sadie's, first child.

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49.

On May 4,2020, World Peace announced that he had changed his name to Metta Sandiford-Ron Artest, combining his last name with that of his wife, Maya Sandiford.

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50.

Ron Artest helps athletes with tax preparation and has a film division.

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51.

Ron Artest has an interest in mathematics which started in high school, and which he uses in developing a sports app and in taking analytics classes at UCLA.

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