Artest Changing His Name to Metta World Peace

By - Brian Harrington

Ohhh that Ron-Ron! Los Angeles Lakers forward and certifiable nut job Ron Artest filed a petition with the Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday to legally change his name to Metta World Peace. He sites personal reasons for the change in his petition. I'm thinking mental reasons would be more accurate.

Photo from: lastangryfan.com

When asked about the change, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said, "It brought a smile to my face, but it's been done before, so other than that, I don't really have a comment on the matter."

Lloyd Bernard Free, who played in the NBA from 1975-1988, changed his name to World B. Free in 1981.

When asked about whether Artest will have "Peace" or "World Peace" on the back of his jersey, Kupchak said, "I'm an advocate of World Peace."