1.) Metta World Peace, 38, is a former NBA player turned coach. Over the course of his career he’s played for six different NBA teams, including the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. Metta started his career in basketball with the Chicago Bulls in 1999, but later moved onto the Indiana Pacers, followed by the Sacramento Kings and then the Houston Rockets. From 2009 to 2013, Metta played for the Lakers, only to return to the team once again after a short stint with the Knicks.
2.) Metta World Peace is not his real first name — obviously. The baller was born Ronald William Artest Jr. in the Queens borough of New York. He is the oldest of three sons, and grew up playing basketball at La Salle Academy. He later went on to play basketball at St. John’s University, which led to him being the 16th pick for the Chicago Bulls in 1999.
3.) Early in Metta’s career he witnessed a horrific murder. It was in 1991 on a trip to Niagra Falls where Metta World Peace watched as a 19-year-old basketball player was stabbed and killed right in front of him. The player, Lloyd Newton, was stabbed in the back — piercing his heart — after a 16-year-old broke the leg off of a table and threw it in his direction. Sadly, Lloyd died on the basketball court.
4.) Why did Metta change his name? “Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world,” the pro basketball player said in a statement.
5.) Metta’s ex-wife, Kimsha, was a cast member on ‘Basketball Wives: LA’. She appeared on the show for the first season, but didn’t return after that. Kimsha and Metta have three children together: Sadie, Ron III and Diamond. Unfortunately, they divorced in 2009 after six years of marriage.
Tell us, HollywoodLifers — Are YOU excited to watch Metta World Peace on Celebrity Big Brother? Comment below, let us know!