Metta World Peace is a retired professional basketball player. Metta World Peace has played for six different NBA teams. Since his college days, the NBA champion has had a ball, capturing the attention of fans and coaches with his diverse performance.
He began his career in 1999 and ended it in 2017, establishing himself as one of the most promising league’s exclusive defenders.
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Early Life & Family
Metta World Peace was born on November 13, 1979, in Queens, New York.
Artest is also an American national who practices Christianity.
He was also born to Ron Artest Sr. and Sarah Artest, his father and mother.
Isaiah, Daniel, Walid, Khalik, Angelique, Quanisha, and Shalice Holmes-Taylor are the player’s seven siblings.
Shalice Holmes Taylor, the player’s sister, died of cancer a day before training camp, and the incident became a major distraction throughout his games.
He has rage issues, according to sources, which he developed at a young age after his parents divorced.
His parents divorced, but his father continued to live just a few doors down to keep an eye on his son and his day-to-day activities.
World Peace was taken to anger management counseling, and the counselor suggested that he find a distraction outlet to help him forget about the things that were happening around him.
He also started practicing basketball, played with his father whenever he could, and used it to help him overcome the challenges of severe weather.
Every event in his life, the divorce, the death of his sister, everything, he dribbled off.
Body Characteristics
Metta World Peace is 42 years old according to his birth date.
In terms of physical stats, he stands at a towering height of 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and weighs roughly 260 pounds (118 kg).
Facts of Metta World Peace
| Full Name | Metta Sandiford-Artest |
| Name Changed | Metta Sandiford-Artest (2020) |
| Birth Date | November 13, 1979 |
| Birth Place | Queens, New York |
| Nick Name | Crazy Pills, Ron-Ron, The Straightjacket |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Unknown |
| Education |
|
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
| Father’s Name | Ron Artest Sr. |
| Mother’s Name | Sarah Artest |
| Siblings | Seven (Isaiah, Daniel, Walid, Khalik, Angelique, Quanisha, & Shalice Holmes-Taylor) |
| Age | 42 years old |
| Height | 6 feet 7 inches |
| Weight | 118 Kilogram (260 lb) |
| Jersey no. | 37 – Los Angeles Lakes |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| NBA Draft | 1999 / Round: 1 / 16th overall pick |
| League | NBA & International |
| Active Years | 1999 – 2017 |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Maya Sandiford-Artest |
| Kids | Four (Ron Artest III, Sadie, Jeron & Diamond) |
| Net Worth | $30 million |
| Position | Small forward |
| Last Played NBA Team | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram, Facebook |
| Merch | No Malice: My Life in Basketball (Hardcover) |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Salary & Net Worth
Metta World Peace has a net worth of $30 million.
In terms of previous earnings, he made $1,551,659 with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016-17 and $1,499,187 with the Lakers in 2015-16.
He made $250,000 with the New York Knicks in 2014-15 and $1,590,000 with the Knicks in 2013-14.
He earned $6,322,320 in 2010-11 and $5,854,000 in 2009-10 while with the Lakers.
His estimated pay with the Houston Rockets in 2008-2009 was $7,400,000, while he earned $6,842,105 with the Indiana Pacers in 2005-06.
In 2000-01, World Peace made $1,160,760 with the Chicago Bulls, and his first paid salary with the Bulls was $1,079,760 in 1999-00.
College Life
From 1997 to 1999, World Peace was a member of the St. John’s University basketball squad.
Meanwhile, his summer basketball events Nike Pro City in Manhattan, Hoops in the Sun Tournament at Orchard Beach in The Bronx, and The Dyckman Basketball Tournament in Washington Heights helped him gain notoriety.
The NBA Draft and Its Journey
The Chicago Bulls selected Peace with the 16th overall choice in the 1999 NBA Draft.
He was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team during his time with the Bulls in 1999-2000.
The Bulls traded Peace to the Indiana Pacers during the 2001-02 season. Meanwhile, he was named Defensive Player of the Year after appearing in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve.
Suspension Length
The Malice at the Palace occurred during a game between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills, Michigan; peace was a critical component of a fight.
Peace, Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons, Peace’s colleagues Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal, and a slew of other players took part in the Clash.
As a result, the game was called off with less than a minute remaining.
Peace was later suspended by the NBA for the remainder of the regular season and playoff games. With that said, he was suspended for 86 games, the longest ban for an on-court incident in NBA history.
Betrayed & Trade
Peace appealed a trade from the Indiana Pacers in 2005-06, but he was put on the inactive roster in the meantime.
His rash decision caused him to split up with his colleague Jermaine O’Neal. Larry Bird, the Pacers’ president, called it a “betrayal” and a “disappointment.”
Then he was formally traded to the Sacramento Kings, and Peace quickly established himself as the team’s best player.
Peace was moved to the Houston Rockets later in 2008-2009, and the deal was finalized in August 2008.
In July 2009, World Peace was signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.
In-Game 5 of the 2010 Western Conference Finals, he scored a game-winning shot at the buzzer after grabbing a last-second offensive rebound.
With the Los Angeles Lakers, Metta Peace World got his first championship ring. He received the NBA’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in April 2011.
Other Groups
World Peace signed a two-year contract with the New York Knicks in July 2013, but the franchise dismissed him in February 2014 after the team bought out his contract.
World Peace flew to China in August 2014 and signed with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Sichuan Blue Whales.
For the 2014-15 Lega Basket Seria A season, he joined Pallacanestro Cantù of Italy.
Homecoming
After circling the globe, World Peace returned to the United States in September 2015 to join the Los Angeles Lakers for a second stint.
He re-signed with the Lakers in September 2016, and he led the club with 18 points, helping the team maintain their longest winning streak.
During his offseason in 2017, World Peace joined the New Orleans Gators of the Global Mixed Gender Basketball League.
In 2019, he signed a one-day contract with the American Basketball Association’s San Diego Kings.
Coaching Profession
World Peace served as a player development coach for the South Bay Lakers in 2017-18.
He later played 3-3 basketball with the BIG3 during the 2018 offseason.
Maalik Wayns is a strong American point guard who retired in 2019 after nine years in the NBA.
Wife
Metta World Peace has a beautiful love diary full of twists and turns.
World peace and a lovely world Kimsha Hatfield and her boyfriend started dating when they were both in their teens when he was 15 and she was 14.
Kimsha was a cast member of the VH1 reality show Basketball Wives: Los Angeles.
When the couple welcomed their first child, Sadie, in 1997, they were overjoyed. Additionally, they expanded the number; they together have three kids, Sadie, Ron III, and Diamond.
His son, Ron III, is also a professional basketball player.
The couple got married finally in June 2003, and after finishing some life’s journey together, they divorced in 2009.
Interestingly, World Peace has become a grandfather after welcoming Sadie’s first eldest daughter.
Above & Beyond
Apart from Kimsha, World Peace had another beautiful girlfriend, Jennifer Palma.
After their meet-up in high school, the couple began their relationship, and they share a son, Jeron, a high school player.
In May 2020, Metta declared that he had legally changed his name to Metta Sandiford-Artest.
The player’s name combines his second wife Maya Sandiford’s last name, who got married in 2018.
His current wife, Maya Sandiford, is a Korean-Canadian model.
Media Presence
Television
World Peace developed and produced his reality show, They Call Me Crazy, in co-occurrence with E1 Entertainment and Tijuana Entertainment in April 2010.
Also, he became part of the line-up for the reality show “Dancing with Stars” in its thirteenth season.
World Peace made his appearance in October 2012 on a game show, Figure It Out, as a panelist on the American television channel Nickelodeon.
Furthermore, he appeared in an episode of Spike’s Lip Sync Battle against actor Skylar Astin in June 2017.
He attempted Insane by Cypress Hill and Roar by Katy Perry.
He then appeared in the first American edition of Celebrity Big Brother in January 2018.
Founder of Media Group
The player founded the Artest Media Group in 2010. And the brand management company’s clients include renowned music artists and music producers.
Rap Album
World Peace released a rap album titled My World in October 2006.
His album featured guest artists, Juvenile, Mike Jones, and P. Diddy.
Advocacy
World Peace partook in advocacy relating to Mental Health issues.
Following this, he chose to donate some or all of his salary generated from the 2011-12 NBA season to mental health awareness charities.
Legal Affairs
World Peace drank Hennessey cognac in the locker room during the halftime match against the Chicago Bulls in 2009.
Then, he wore a bathrobe over his Indiana Pacers practice uniform, which he confessed as a “symbolic reminder to take it easy.”
In 2003, he destroyed a TV camera at Madison Square Garden and was suspended for three games.
Again, he has a conflict with Miami Heat coach Pat Riley and was suspended for four games in the same year.
In 2007, World Peace was sentenced to 20 days for domestic violence.
Then, he was obliged to abandon ownership of his dog, a Great Dane, for malnutrition and failure.
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Controversy
In April 2012, World Peace elbowed James Harden in the head while rejoicing a dunk. Thus, he got a flagrant foul two and was eventually rejected.
Consequently, Harden was found to have endured concussion aftermath.
In the 2008-09 season with Houston Rockets, World Peace was ejected after a hard foul on Pau Gasol, who was striving to dunk.
Presence on Social Media
His Twitter handle is @MettaWorld37 and his Instagram handle is @mettaworlpeaced37.
