The Los Angeles Lakers have decided to give Peace yet another chance. After numerous rumors, the team officially gave Metta World Peace a one year deal. While it’s unclear whether or not the artist formerly known as Ron Artest will make the regular season roster, it is clear that he will be around the Lake Show for at least the next month.
There are debates all over the place about what World Peace can give to the Lakers this season. From veteran leadership to on-court presence, it is a relative unknown how the Lakers can benefit from his presence. What is not unknown, however, is that he will have a chance to add to his plethora of Lakers moments. Instead of looking to the future of the Lakers’ experiment with Peace, let us look to the past and enjoy the best of those moments.
Without further ado, here are the top five Ron Artest/Metta World Peace Lakers moments:
The Time He Imitated Shannon Brown:
The dunk is great and all. But that hop at the end? Beautiful.
The Time He Made Craig Sager Say Queensbridge:
“Queensbridge in the building; you already know.”
The Time He Put in the Game Winning Putback:
This is one of the craziest shots ever. Artest flies in from the three point line as Kobe gets the ball up, outmuscles Jason Richardson to get the rebound, and then puts up a prayer off the glass to win a huge playoff game. I have no idea who that is saying “NOOO” but man, do I enjoy it.
The Time He Made the Biggest Shot of the 2010 Finals:
The biggest shot of the finals and the biggest shot of his career. There’s not much more to add other than the fact that this shot (and the entirety of that game seven) were direct causes of the Lakers’ championship run. Also, that postgame interview with Doris Burke was so significant as he opened up about his “doctor,” which paved the way for other athletes, such as Roy Hibbert, who now employ sports psychologists to help improve their games. More importantly, it raised awareness about the state of mental health, a cause that should be more well-known in our society as a whole.
The Time He Created the Greatest Press Conference Ever
This thing is so fantastic. Any time I feel down, I pull this up and cheer up. There are so many amazing quotes in one nine-plus minute video. Let’s go through some of them:
- “I got Wheaties!”
- “David [Stern] might not like that” in reference to a Champagne bottle on the table
- “My other son’s with Kobe instead of me, huh? Whatever”
- “Kobe passed me the ball! He never passes me the ball!”
My favorite part, however, is that there are more mentions of the word “club” than there are actual questions answered.
We may not know what Metta World Peace can contribute to the Lakers in the near future. However, we do know what he has contributed to the team in his previous stint: big games, big shots, and big moments.
I leave you now with one final work of art from Ron “Artist.”
