Metta World Peace Wanted 'Prime' Self 'in a Knicks Jersey'
He was already a king of Queens and was establishing a dominion in Manhattan. Alas, fate intervened for Metta World Peace.
The NBA veteran, also known as Ron Artest and Metta Sandiford-Artest, expressed a desire to turn back time and allow "Prime Metta" to don the New York Knicks' blue-and-orange during an appearance on "The Hoop Chat" web series. World Peace was previously a Madison Square Garden hero as a member of the St. John's Red Storm's men's basketball program but wished his metropolitan journey could've continued.
"If you really want to play with time, imagine if we could move that Prime Metta to the Knicks," World Peace told host and fellow New York native Emily Austin. "Imagine a Prime World Peace (with New York) ... I wish I could reverse time, I would put myself in a Knick jersey ... in my prime, not my old Metta World Peace, when I can't even run anymore."
World Peace always seemed destined to make an impact in metropolitan basketball: he was born in Queens and attended La Salle Academy in Manhattan before working between the two boroughs with the Red Storm. His time with St. John's culminated with a run to the regional final/Elite Eight round of the 1999 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament before he declared for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season.
Anthony Gruppuso, USA Today Sports
The Knicks had a chance to draft World Peace with the 15th pick of those selections but the team opted for French center Frédéric Weis instead. World Peace went to Chicago with the very next pick, angering New Yorkers who wished to see a local hardwood hero return to MSG. Their fury was well-justified, as Weis never played a single NBA game.
After two-plus seasons with the Bulls, World Peace was traded to the Indiana Pacers and made a name for himself through his ruthless defense, earning All-Defensive Team honors on three occasions (2003-04, 2006). His most notable outing was the 2003-04 season, which saw him earn Defensive Player of the Year as well as an All-Star Game invite.
Though World Peace's Pacers career ended with his involvement in the infamous "Malice at the Palace" (leading to an 86-game suspension), he played 10 more NBA seasons, his most notable minutes coming in a supporting role with Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers (2009-13, 2015-17), which yielded another All-Defensive Team nomination and an NBA title.
World Peace eventually made it back to New York in 2013, but he admitted to Austin that he was no longer "Prime Metta" by that point. In a disappointing follow-up to a 54-win season from the year prior, the Knicks went 37-45 and tipped off a streak of seven consecutive playoff-free seasons. At 34 years old, World Peace put up averages of 4.8 points and 2.0 rebounds, career-lows at that time. The Knicks bought out his contract and World Peace spent a year playing in China before ending his career with two more Laker seasons.
New York certainly could've used World Peace's defensive talents at the height of his powers: between the 2002-03 and 2010-11 seasons, the team failed to win a playoff series and finished outside the top 20 in defensive rating on eight of nine occasions.
