Metta World Peace has contributed a lot to culture and the NBA. Drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA Draft, World Peace played for six different team averaging 13 points a game, winning a championship ring, earning multiple NBA All-Defensive First Team honor and has the distincion of having a unique defensive stance.

No seriously, that patented stance may be as recognizable to hoops junkies as the Heisman Trophy award stance is to the football faithful. Some may say it is Metta being Metta, but honestly in a day and age where everybody is a brand, it’s cool to see a guy from the borough of Queens just be himself.

Shoutout to Queensbrige! Right Craig Sager?

World Peace signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason. At 10-12, the Lakers are off to an exciting start. Los Angeles, hired Luke Walton as their coach, drafted Brandon Ingram in the offseason and has tapped point guard D’Angelo Russell as the new face of their franchise following the retirement of Kobe Bryant.

World Peace, 37, is a veteran presence for that young Lakers team that also boasts young talent in Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams and Timofey Mosgov. “Right now for the Lakers it’s about growing,” World Peace told me by phone last week.

“Right now it’s about having fun and that’s what they’re doing right now, having a lot of fun.”

World Peace is the surely the dean, principal and student of having fun; his personality embodies it. Just last week, he was the focus of a new short-form mockumentary called The 5th quarter by go90.  In a heartwarming episode, titled, “Sylvester,” World Peace who plays himself connects with ten-year-old Sylvester Bass who is blind. Bass got the chance to watch his first – and possibly only – basketball game in-between two risky eye surgeries.

Check It Out Here 

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The human serviette wipes again! Since linking up with i am OTHER, he’s been on a roll. His latest interview is with Metta World Peace, basketball player and illegal elbower extraordinaire. If you’ve ever seen World Peace rap, you probably don’t think he has much to say about hip-hop. Nardwuar shows us that this is untrue. World Peace has been involved in rap since he was Ron Artest, that weird, eccentric guy from Queensbridge. Discussing the weird relationship between hip-hop and basketball, Nardwuar and World Peace give us an interview to remember. Don’t deprive yourself.

Shout out to Hornby Island?

The post Video: Nardwuar vs. Metta World Peace appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

For many the lockout has gone swimmingly, but some players have found themselves drawn to other pursuits.  In the latest installment of How Athletes Cope With Lockouts we find Delonte West and Metta World Peace (AKA Ron Artest) testing their metal in the entertainment world.

The Boston Celtics guard was recorded spitting over a Wiz Khalifa freestyle, check out the video below.

Get the money right, and Delonte will hop up on your track.

Moving on, Ron-Ron found himself at the Improv in West Hollywood last Friday (July 8th) to kick off a stand-up comedy tour.  L.A. Times sports reporter Melissa Rohlin caught up with the NBA star, peep the interview below.  Hopefully the stand-up thing goes over better than his name change.

The post How Athletes Cope With Lockouts: Part 2 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.