Metta Sandiford-Artest facts for kids

"Ron Artest" redirects here. For his son, also a basketball player, see Ron Artest III.

Quick facts for kids
Metta Sandiford-Artest
Personal information
Sandiford-Artest with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015
Born	(1979-11-13) November 13, 1979 (age 45) Queens, New York, U.S.
High school	La Salle Academy (Manhattan, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
College	St. John's (1997–1999)
NBA Draft	1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	1999–2017
Coaching career	2017–2018
Career history
As player:
1999–2002	Chicago Bulls
2002–2006	Indiana Pacers
2006–2008	Sacramento Kings
2008–2009	Houston Rockets
2009–2013	Los Angeles Lakers
2013–2014	New York Knicks
2014	Sichuan Blue Whales
2015	Cantù
2015–2017	Los Angeles Lakers
As coach:
2017–2018	South Bay Lakers (player development)

Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2010) NBA All-Star (2004) All-NBA Third Team (2004) NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2004) 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2004, 2006) 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2003, 2009) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2000) Third-team All-American – AP, NABC (1999) Haggerty Award (1999) First-team All-Big East (1999) Second-team Parade All-American (1997) McDonald's All-American (1997)

Career NBA statistics
Points	13,058 (13.2 ppg)
Rebounds	4,448 (4.5 rpg)
Assists	2,631 (2.7 apg)

Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr. on November 13, 1979) is a former American professional basketball player. He played for 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was first known as Ron Artest, and later changed his name to Metta World Peace and The Panda's Friend.

As Ron Artest, he played college basketball for St. John's University. He was then drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA draft. He later played for the Indiana Pacers, where he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and became an NBA All-Star in 2004.

He also played for the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets. In 2009, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers and helped them win the NBA championship in 2010. He retired from the NBA in 2017 and later changed his name to Metta Sandiford-Artest in 2020.

Early Life and College
Professional Career
After the NBA
Personal Life
Media Appearances
NBA career statistics
- Regular season
- Playoffs
See also

Early Life and College

Metta Sandiford-Artest was born in Queens, New York. He grew up with two younger brothers, Isaiah and Daniel. He played high school basketball at La Salle Academy and was on the same youth team as future NBA stars Elton Brand and Lamar Odom.

When he was young, Artest saw a very rough basketball game where a player was badly hurt and later died. This experience taught him how intense and competitive the game could be.

From 1997 to 1999, Artest played college basketball for St. John's University. He was a great player and helped his team, the Red Storm, reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

Professional Career

Chicago Bulls (1999–2002)

The Chicago Bulls chose Artest as the 16th pick in the 1999 NBA draft. He played for the Bulls for about two and a half years. During that time, he averaged around 12.5 points per game. He was also named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Indiana Pacers (2002–2006)

In 2002, Artest was traded to the Indiana Pacers. He became one of the best defensive players in the league. In the 2003–04 season, he was named the Defensive Player of the Year and was chosen for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game.

The Malice at the Palace

On November 19, 2004, a major fight broke out during a game between the Pacers and the Detroit Pistons. The incident involved Artest, other players, and some fans.

Because of the fight, the game was stopped. The NBA suspended Artest for the rest of the season, which was 86 games. This was the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history.

Leaving the Pacers

After the suspension, Artest wanted to be traded. This created problems with his teammates and the team's president, Larry Bird. On January 25, 2006, he was officially traded to the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento Kings (2006–2008)

Artest playing for the Sacramento Kings.

Artest quickly became an important player for the Kings, helping them with his strong defense. The team started winning more games and made it to the playoffs.

He was suspended for one playoff game for a hard foul on Manu Ginóbili. The Kings were later eliminated from the playoffs.

Houston Rockets (2008–2009)

Artest with the Houston Rockets during the 2008–09 season.

In 2008, Artest was traded to the Houston Rockets. He played alongside stars like Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady.

He helped the Rockets get past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. During a playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Artest was ejected from two different games for hard fouls.

Los Angeles Lakers (2009–2013)

Artest guarding Corey Maggette of the Golden State Warriors in 2009.

Winning a Championship

In 2009, Artest signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He chose the jersey number 37 to honor singer Michael Jackson.

In the 2010 playoffs, Artest hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer in a key game against the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers went on to the NBA Finals and beat the Boston Celtics. Artest scored 20 points in the final game and made a crucial three-pointer to help seal the victory. He won his first and only NBA championship.

Name Change and Later Years

World Peace (right) with teammate Pau Gasol in 2012.

In 2011, Artest legally changed his name to Metta World Peace. He said he wanted the name to inspire young people around the world.

During the 2011-12 season, he was suspended for seven games after elbowing James Harden in the head while celebrating a dunk. He later apologized and said it was unintentional.

In 2013, he had knee surgery but returned to play just 12 days later to help his team. The Lakers made the playoffs but lost in the first round. After the season, the Lakers released him from the team.

Later Career Moves

After leaving the Lakers, World Peace played for his hometown team, the New York Knicks, for one season.

In 2014, he played in China for the Sichuan Blue Whales. The next year, he played in Italy for a team called Pallacanestro Cantù.

On September 24, 2015, he returned to the Los Angeles Lakers for a second time. He played two more seasons with the team before retiring from the NBA in 2017.

After the NBA

After his playing career, World Peace became a player development coach for the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers' minor league team. He also played in the BIG3 3-on-3 basketball league under his old name, Ron Artest.

Personal Life

Artest celebrating at the 2010 Lakers championship parade.

In 2011, Ron Artest changed his name to Metta World Peace. He said "Metta" is a Buddhist word for loving-kindness.

In 2020, he changed his name again to Metta Sandiford-Artest. He added his wife's last name, Sandiford, to his own.

Sandiford-Artest has four children. His son, Ron Artest III, also became a professional basketball player.

He has also become an advocate for mental health awareness. He once auctioned his championship ring and donated the money to mental health charities.

Media Appearances

Sandiford-Artest has appeared on several TV shows.

He was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars.
He appeared on the Nickelodeon game show Figure It Out.
He was a contestant on the first American season of Celebrity Big Brother.
In 2023, he competed on The Masked Singer as the "Cuddle Monster."

NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1999–00	Chicago	72	63	31.1	.407	.314	.674	4.3	2.8	1.7	.5	12.0
2000–01	Chicago	76	74	31.1	.401	.291	.750	3.9	3.0	2.0	.6	11.9
2001–02	Chicago	27	26	30.5	.433	.396	.628	4.9	2.9	2.8	.9	15.6
2001–02	Indiana	28	24	29.3	.411	.215	.733	5.0	1.8	2.4	.6	10.9
2002–03	Indiana	69	67	33.6	.428	.336	.736	5.2	2.9	2.3	.7	15.5
2003–04	Indiana	73	71	37.2	.421	.310	.733	5.3	3.7	2.1	.7	18.3
2004–05	Indiana	7	7	41.6	.496	.412	.922	6.4	3.1	1.7	.9	24.6
2005–06	Indiana	16	16	37.7	.460	.333	.612	4.9	2.2	2.6	.7	19.4
2005–06	Sacramento	40	40	40.1	.383	.302	.717	5.2	4.2	2.0	.8	16.9
2006–07	Sacramento	70	65	37.7	.440	.358	.740	6.5	3.4	2.1	.6	18.8
2007–08	Sacramento	57	54	38.1	.453	.380	.719	5.8	3.5	2.3	.7	20.5
2008–09	Houston	69	55	35.5	.401	.399	.748	5.2	3.3	1.5	.3	17.1
2009–10†	L.A. Lakers	77	77	33.8	.414	.355	.688	4.3	3.0	1.4	.3	11.0
2010–11	L.A. Lakers	82	82*	29.4	.397	.356	.676	3.3	2.1	1.5	.4	8.5
2011–12	L.A. Lakers	64	45	26.9	.394	.296	.617	3.4	2.2	1.1	.4	7.7
2012–13	L.A. Lakers	75	66	33.7	.403	.342	.734	5.0	1.5	1.6	.6	12.4
2013–14	New York	29	1	13.4	.397	.315	.625	2.0	.6	.8	.3	4.8
2015–16	L.A. Lakers	35	5	16.9	.311	.310	.702	2.5	.8	.6	.3	5.0
2016–17	L.A. Lakers	25	2	6.4	.279	.237	.625	.8	.4	.4	.1	2.3
Career		991	840	31.7	.414	.339	.715	4.5	2.7	1.7	.5	13.2
All-Star		1	0	17.0	.600	.000	.500	3.0	3.0	1.0	.0	7.0

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2002	Indiana	5	5	33.4	.407	.462	.692	6.0	3.2	2.6	.6	11.8
2003	Indiana	6	6	42.0	.389	.387	.800	5.8	2.2	2.5	1.0	19.0
2004	Indiana	15	15	38.9	.378	.288	.718	6.5	3.2	1.4	1.1	18.4
2006	Sacramento	5	5	39.6	.383	.333	.696	5.0	3.0	1.6	.8	17.4
2009	Houston	13	13	37.5	.394	.277	.714	4.3	4.2	1.1	.2	15.6
2010†	L.A. Lakers	23	23	36.5	.398	.291	.579	4.0	2.1	1.5	.5	11.2
2011	L.A. Lakers	9	9	31.9	.443	.321	.762	4.6	2.2	1.1	.8	10.6
2012	L.A. Lakers	6	6	39.3	.367	.389	.750	3.5	2.3	2.2	.7	11.7
2013	L.A. Lakers	3	3	28.0	.250	.143	1.000	3.7	1.7	.7	.3	6.0
Career		85	85	36.9	.389	.308	.714	4.8	2.8	1.5	.7	13.9