Ron Artest’s Name Change Inspired By Chad Ochocinco


Ron Artest can’t officially become Metta World Peace just yet, but he explains what led to the name change, and his difficulties with paying those darn parking tickets he keeps getting. From ESPN: “Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest says he was inspired to change his name to Metta World Peace by Chad Ochocinco, assisted in selecting his new name by a mystery woman, and foiled in formally doing so — until at least his next court date on Sept. 16 — by a complete lack of knowledge about how to pay parking tickets. ‘It comes down to the parking tickets. I don’t know how to pay a parking ticket. I’ve never paid a parking ticket in my life,’ Artest [said]. ‘There’s so much fine print,’ Artest continued. ‘I just get them and throw them in my glove compartment.’ When asked if that’s the explanation he would give to the judge at his next court date, Artest said, ‘I have to. I want to change my name and get it over with already.’ And just how did Artest get the idea to change his name in the first place? ‘When Ocho did it, I was like, ‘That’s kind of dope. I want to change my name,’ Artest said. ‘But then I was like, ‘I’m not going to do it because that just don’t make sense.’ Artest obviously changed his mind somewhere along the line, and the decision wasn’t as impulsive as it might’ve seemed.”