Metta World Peace, American basketball player and rapper
Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr.; November 13, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name to Metta World Peace in 2011 and later to Metta Sandiford-Artest in 2020.
Sandiford-Artest played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm. He played for six teams in the NBA and gained a reputation as one of the league's premier defenders. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004, when he was also named an NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors. He won an NBA championship in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sandiford-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. During the 2017–18 season, Sandiford-Artest was a player development coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League.