Metta World Peace

Metta World Peace is a former NBA All-Star and champion recognized for his contributions to professional basketball and mental health advocacy. World Peace played professional basketball for 18 seasons, competing for the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, and Chicago Bulls. Internationally, he played with the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association and Pallacanestro Cantù in Italy. He was known as Ron Artest before legally changing his name.

On the court, World Peace established a reputation as a formidable defender in NBA history. He was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team, received the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, and set a record with 271 steals in his first two seasons, surpassing Michael Jordan. World Peace is noted for scoring the winning shot in the NBA Championship Game with the Los Angeles Lakers and delivering key performances during the Western Conference Finals, including a buzzer beater against the Phoenix Suns and a decisive three-pointer in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics. He received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, the NBA's highest honor for citizenship and community service.

World Peace is also recognized for his pioneering role as a mental health advocate in sports. He publicly acknowledged his therapist after the NBA Championship win, bringing attention to mental health issues among athletes. His openness about his experiences with depression and anxiety earned him the Mental Health Hero award. World Peace raffled his NBA World Championship Ring, raising over $651,000 to support nonprofits providing mental health services in cities such as Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Cleveland, New York, and Little Rock.

He has chronicled his life and career in the autobiography "No Malice: My Life in Basketball or: How a Kid from Queensbridge Survived the Streets, the Brawls and Himself to Become an NBA Champion." World Peace is also the subject of the Emmy-nominated Showtime Sports documentary "Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story," which features insights from teammates and NBA figures. He has spoken at events and institutions including the Milken Institute, SALT, UCLA Health Systems, USC School of Social Work, Claremont Graduate University, and the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, sharing perspectives on basketball, mental health, and resilience.

Following his playing career, World Peace has contributed to basketball as a player development coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. He is the founder of Artest Management Group and co-CEO of XvsXSports. World Peace has also served as chief impact director at OOTify, a mental health platform powered by artificial intelligence. His work continues to focus on peak performance, resilience, and the importance of mental wellness in sports and society.