Ron Artest changes his name
Laker believes new name brings inspiration
NBA superstar and Los Angeles Laker Ron Artest officially changed his name to Metta World Peace.
The guard made the request in June, but his wish was delayed until he took care of a few pesky traffic tickets.
The change came as a big surprise; much of the public was a bit taken aback questioning his sanity.
But Artest, who has admitted in the past he visits a psychologist just to keep it together, has contemplated the change for years.
His publicist, Courtney Barnes, told reporters the new name came after going back and forth with names and finding something inspirational.
Artest always knew he wanted his last name to be World Peace, “but it took many years of research and soul searching to find a first name that was both personally meaningful and inspirational,” Barnes said.
Metta in the Buddhist tradition means loving-kindness and friendliness toward others.
http://www.ourweekly.com/los-angeles/nba-champion-formally-known-ron-artest
Former NBA forward Orlando Woolridge, who played for the Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers, the New Jersey Nets, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Detroit Pistons, died at his parents’ home in Mansfield, La. He was 52.
Woolridge succumbed Thursday night, May 31. He reportedly had been under hospice care for a chronic heart condition.
As of today Ron Artest, NBA champion and Los Angeles Lakers forward, will now be known as Metta World Peace, a name he officially requested in June but was only granted permission to change officially today after approval from the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
After dealing with a with a couple of traffic tickets, a judge ruled that Artest could have his name changed. This comes just in time for the new season of ”Dancing with the Stars,” where he will compete alongside Peta Murgatroyd.
Chris Wright was playing professional basketball in Turkey last year, working toward achieving his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA, when something strange happened at the end of practice.
“I’m running sprints, just normal sprints, and I run and touch the baseline, go back and my foot gives out,” said Wright, now 23.
“I just thought I slipped or something like that. But I noticed my foot started getting numb and it just got progressively worse.”
California
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A statue of former Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, will be unveiled today outside Staples Center.
Abdul-Jabbar’s teammates with the 1980s “Showtime” Lakers Earvin “Magic” Johnson and James Worthy; the team’s coach, Pat Riley; former Laker player, coach and general manager Jerry West; and team executive Jeanie Buss are scheduled to join Abdul-Jabbar in speaking at the ceremony, which is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
