One thing about the basketball player formerly known as Ron Artest – he is certainly a rugged individualist.
From a burgeoning rap “career” to his main role in that ugly brawl between the Pacers and Pistons that spilled over into the crowd in 2004, to changing his name to Metta World Peace in 2011 – love him or hate him, he’s never boring.
Which brings us to our sports clip of the day, in which Mr. World Peace makes the most of a homecoming after becoming a New York Knick. The Queens native was a high school sensation when he played for La Salle Academy in New York City, then stayed home by attending St. John’s University in Queens.
But the local boy never got to make good until returning to his hometown this season. So, for that, World Peace did what any New Yorker would do: He took the subway to work, specifically the F train from his old projects in Queens to Madison Square Garden.
We can credit NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk for that clip, and there’s another video here from Newsday, in which World Peace says, “This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” while he meets and greets fans.
CBS Sports has fan photos and tweets here, while the New York Daily News notes that everyone in Queens still calls him “Ron,” and recounts how upset New Yorkers were when the Knicks didn’t draft him in 1999.
He even addressed the crowd before the game. The game? Oh yeah, the Knicks beat the Bucks 90-83, and ol’ Ron Artest had four points and four rebounds in 18 minutes of play.
