Ron Artest

The most ballyhooed name change of the year became official Friday morning when a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner approved the former Ron Artest's request to become Metta World Peace. Amid labor discord that threatens to delay, if not wipe out, the NBA season, there is World Peace. Photos: Famous name-changers He is 6 feet 7, wears No. 15 for the Lakers and once participated in the infamous "Palace brawl. " Anyone now making his acquaintance will be meeting Metta World Peace.

Metta World Peace? How about Metta World War III? Pat Mauer Pasadena :: I guess all of Metta World Peace's previous suspensions were all part of being celebratory also. He obviously wanted to celebrate with the fans in Detroit. Jeff White Palmdale :: Calling Artest "Metta World Peace" is like calling Bernie Madoff "Father Generosity. " Artest obviously didn't learn anything from his 2004 one-year suspension for inciting a riot against some fans.

This, I had to see. The looniest Laker speaking to middle schoolers about mental health? "I know no parent wants their kid to be hearing from the guy who was on the Jimmy Kimmel show in his boxers," said Ron Artest from the stage of the Eastmont Intermediate School in Montebello on Thursday morning. "But I put all that aside today. " The Laker who impulsively dyes his hair, tweets his anger and was recently stopped by police while driving what appeared to be a Formula One race car through Los Angeles was speaking to middle schoolers about the importance of mental stability?

Anything but peaceful Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest) has had his share of suspensions — 10 in the last 10 seasons alone — and altercations during his 13 NBA seasons. A look at some of his notable incidents: •April 22, 2012: World Peace decks Oklahoma City's James Harden with an out-of-control left elbow; Harden suffers a concussion. Two days later the NBA suspends World Peace for seven games. •May 4, 2011: Artest smacks diminutive Dallas guard Jose Barea across the face in the closing seconds of the Lakers' 93-81 Game 2 loss in the Western Conference semifinals.

Five years ago Thursday, Ron Artest was a part of one of the worst brawls in sports history when he and his Indiana Pacers teammates went into the stands during a game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. Five years later, on the anniversary of that unforgettable event, Artest was tracked down before the Lakers played the Chicago Bulls at Staples Center and asked what he recalled from that night. Artest maintained that he "didn't start any trouble" and that he should get some of his money back after being suspended for 73 games without pay. "I put it behind me immediately because I did nothing," Artest said.

I'd like to announce that I'm legally changing my name to Ron Artest, on account of he's changing his name to Metta World Peace, which — small world — was actually my birth name. If this name change goes through — I go before the judge on a variety of matters next week — I hope to pick up a percentage of Artest's jersey sales, though I realize I've never seen anyone actually wear an Artest jersey, other than Artest himself. Even then, it was somewhat reluctantly. Obviously, he's found a way to remedy that.

Ron Artest will always test the patience of his coach, teammates and fans for one simple reason. His on-court activity is at all times governed by instinct and never by thought. The same instinct that told him in the final minute of Game 5 to launch a three-point shot early in the shot clock also told him to follow Kobe's miss with a game-winning putback. Like it or not, that's what you get with Ron Artest. Alan Abajian Alta Loma :: Ron Artest took a chapter out of Lamar Odom's book: Better to be lucky than good.

Ron Artest 's poor shooting against the Oklahoma City Thunder has overshadowed his stellar defense on Kevin Durant .… Artest shot better than Trevor Ariza this season.… Kobe Bryant , lauded as a facilitator against the Thunder, has averaged 4.6 assists, slightly below his all-time playoff mark.… Michael Jordan won the first of his six championships with the Chicago Bulls in his seventh NBA season.… This is season No. 7 for LeBron James .… Shaquille O'Neal dubbed a recent spin move "Diesel Truck With No Brakes," perhaps sparking interest from Toyota.

It has been a while since a Lakers player sat out a game because of an off-court injury, but it happened Saturday when Ron Artest stayed in Los Angeles because of a concussion he suffered at home, according to the Lakers and Artest's agent. There was some confusion over the details of Artest's injury, although a team spokesperson clarified that the 30-year-old forward fell down a flight of stairs while carrying a box and didn't trip over a box, as was believed earlier in the day. Artest injured his elbow and needed stitches in the back of his head.

Lakers forward Ron Artest created more controversy for himself after he said in an article published Wednesday that he drank alcohol during games while playing for the Chicago Bulls early in his career. Artest told the Sporting News that he used to drink Hennessey cognac at halftime of games in part because the Bulls were losing so often. "I [kept it] in my locker," he said. Artest played 2 1/2 seasons for Chicago after being drafted as a 19-year-old from St. John's in 1999. The story prompted the NBA to investigate Artest's comments.

I broke it to Kobe Bryant after Sunday's Lakers thriller. It's now Jordan Hill's team. "Well, he's got the right first name for it," says Bryant, yuks all around after a game that would have been remembered for Ron Artest's vicious assault if it weren't for such an improbable and stirring victory. Winning cures so many ills and covers up so many problems but unfortunately does not wipe out a suspension that is surely to come with the playoffs about to begin.

Some people call him by the name he was given at birth. Others use the one he gave himself in a filing in Los Angeles County Superior Court. There also is a handful of people who stumble, not sure what to say. Welcome to the new world of the former Ron Artest. The Lakers forward was officially allowed to change his name to Metta World Peace after paying an unspecified number of outstanding parking tickets, as per a judge's order, in September. Since then, Lakers practices and games are a grab bag of names for the guy wearing No. 15. Ron. Metta.

Three months after he changed his name and went sashaying across a ballroom floor on national television, Metta World Peace has stepped back into a familiar role. Dancing with strange thoughts. Take his view on all the trade rumors involving the Lakers: "I've been more focused on the Herman Cain presidential campaign this year," he said. "I want some Godfather's Pizza. " Then there's his opinion on teammate Lamar Odom being traded to the Dallas Mavericks: "Honestly, I don't even know what happened.

The most ballyhooed name change of the year became official Friday morning when a Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner approved the former Ron Artest's request to become Metta World Peace. Amid labor discord that threatens to delay, if not wipe out, the NBA season, there is World Peace. Photos: Famous name-changers He is 6 feet 7, wears No. 15 for the Lakers and once participated in the infamous "Palace brawl. " Anyone now making his acquaintance will be meeting Metta World Peace.

Ron Artest's well-publicized plan to change his name ran into the legal equivalent of a red light Friday. His petition to legally change his name from Ronald William Artest Jr. to Metta World Peace was delayed by a Los Angeles court commissioner because of some outstanding traffic warrants. The Lakers forward wasn't in court Friday. But Artest gets another opportunity to swap names at a Sept. 16 court date — provided he takes care of his tickets. Artest's publicist, Courtney Barnes, said his client has "two moving violations … they will be paid so that his name can be changed.

Consider it a pickup game for the NBA's unemployed. On weekends this summer at the Col. Leon H. Washington Park gym in South Los Angeles, the Drew Summer League offered pros a competitive outlet during the NBA's work stoppage. The gym feels cramped and is hardly glamorous. Yet, the electric energy that surrounds each dunk, three-point shot and controversial call suggests otherwise. Washington Wizards guard Nick Young scored 60 points for his Drew League team, the Young Grangers, two weekends ago. Young, a former Reseda Cleveland High and USC standout, is a restricted free agent.

Be careful what you wish for, the series. Rarely have two playoff teams been as happy to see each other as the Lakers and Rockets. The Lakers wanted to play the Rockets, whom they have handled, rather than the Trail Blazers, who have handled them, and with whom the series would have been a holy war. The Rockets, who just got out of the first round for the first time in 12 years, are happy to be anywhere, even with a gargoyle, not a pot of gold, at the end of this rainbow.

Ron Artest's well-publicized plan to change his name ran into the legal equivalent of a red light Friday. His petition to legally change his name from Ronald William Artest Jr. to Metta World Peace was delayed by a Los Angeles court commissioner because of some outstanding traffic warrants. The Lakers forward wasn't in court Friday. But Artest gets another opportunity to swap names at a Sept. 16 court date — provided he takes care of his tickets. Artest's publicist, Courtney Barnes, said his client has "two moving violations … they will be paid so that his name can be changed.

I'd like to announce that I'm legally changing my name to Ron Artest, on account of he's changing his name to Metta World Peace, which — small world — was actually my birth name. If this name change goes through — I go before the judge on a variety of matters next week — I hope to pick up a percentage of Artest's jersey sales, though I realize I've never seen anyone actually wear an Artest jersey, other than Artest himself. Even then, it was somewhat reluctantly. Obviously, he's found a way to remedy that.

Amid these increasingly difficult times of conflict and strife, I set out Friday night in search of world peace. On a stage at the Hollywood Improv, I found him. "I changed my name because I got tired of Ron Artest, he's a [expletive]," said Metta World Peace. "And when fans get mad at me, they can't say, 'I hate World Peace.' " Wanting to give World Peace a chance, I met the Lakers forward in his first public appearance since he petitioned to legally change his name earlier this summer.