Metta World Peace, previously known as Ron Artest, is fabled as one of basketball's premiere defenders. He is currently signed to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and has pretty much fallen offthe map since he legally changed his name in 2011. In a recent interview, Metta claimed that the beginning of his stint in China was a bumpy one. Apparently, he came down with a severe illness on his very first day. Now, Peace is healthy again is looking forward to a strong return. After looking back on his past impressive accomplishments, fans should be excited to see if he can turn things around.
Before his time as a professional, Peace played college ball for St. John's University. During that time, he led the Red Strom to a 14-4 record in the Big East Conference an a 28-9 overall with the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division 1 Tournament.
His consistent performances earned him a 16th overall pick with the Chicago Bulls in the 1999 NBA Draft. Throughout his career, he has played for many different teams. He ended his career in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers.
For Metta World Peace fans, it was sad to see him go, but at the same time, it was interesting to see what he could pull of with the CBA. According to TMZ Sports, however, the switch was not an easy one:
"Metta World Peace had a rough start to his pro basketball career in China...he got pretty sick right when he got to town...and spent 3 days in a Chinese hospital. Metta...said he fell ill on day 1 of his international career...and doctors hooked him up with IVs to help him recover. Now, the 35-year-old says he's completely recovered and healthy enough to focus on an NBA comeback...and looks forward to 'dominating' again real soon."
Dominating is the perfect word to describe Metta's presence on the court. According to Biography, his stats should qualify Peace as a Hall of Famer:
"World Peace, known as Artest at the time, missed the first 23 games of his first season with the Pacers with a broken right ring finger, but when he returned he was ranked second in the NBA with a career-high 2.56 steals per game. The following year, he put more points on the board-15.5 points per game versus 10.9 the previous year-and was runner-up for NBA Defensive Player of the Year."
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