Ronald William Artest Jr., better known as Metta Sandiford-Artest, is a retired American professional basketball player who spent 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Born on November 13, 1979, Artest began his college basketball career with the St. John's Red Storm, earning a spot in the 1999 NBA draft where he was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round.
In 2001, Artest signed with the Indiana Pacers, where he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2004 and was named an NBA All-Star the same year. However, his tenure with the Pacers was marked by controversy, including an on-court altercation with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 that resulted in a suspension for the remainder of the 2004-05 season.
In 2005, Artest was traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he spent the 2008-09 season before joining the Houston Rockets. In 2009, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the team win the NBA championship in 2010.
In 2011, Artest legally changed his name to Metta World Peace, and continued to play with the Lakers until 2013, when he signed with the New York Knicks. After a year-long hiatus from the NBA, Artest returned to the Lakers for his final season in 2015 before retiring the following year.
In 2020, Artest announced that he had changed his name again, this time to Metta Sandiford-Artest, combining his last name with that of his second wife, Maya Sandiford.
