This story is available exclusively to Business Insider
subscribers. Become an Insider
and start reading now.Have an account? .
Ron Artest officially changed his name to Metta World Peace today.
His name change mirrors the personal change he's undergone in the last decade.
Today, he's a fun-loving, harmless wacko who's set to embarrass himself on Dancing With The Stars.
But he was once a destruction thug who started one of the ugliest brawls in NBA history.
Artest grew up in Queensbridge, New York City. When he was 12, he witnessed a player get murdered at a pickup game after another man broke off the leg of a table and stabbed him with it
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Queensbridge_Houses.jpg and http://www.apimages.com/Search.aspx?st=k&kw=%22ron%20artest%22&showact=results&sort=creationdatelower%3Aalphabetical&intv=None&sh=10&kwstyle=and&adte=1316199503&pagez=60&cfasstyle=AND&page=2&dah=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C60%2C60%2C60%2C60%2C60%2C60%2C60%2C60%2C60%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX%2CX
Source: New York Times via Hoops Vibe
He attended St. John's University. He was first-team All-Big East, leading his team to a 50-19 record in his two seasons
He paid for dozens of friends and family members to visit him from Queensbridge. ESPN did a photo essay of his entourage that included 30 different hangers-on
Despite his volatile behavior, he had a career year in 2003-04. He made the All-Star team and was named Defensive Player of the Year. But on November 19, 2004, Artest's career took a nosedive
Someone threw a drink at Artest toward the end of the Pacers-Pistons game in Detroit, and Ron then charged into the stands and started a wild melee. Artest was suspended from the remainder of the season — losing him $5 million in salary
The next season, he publicly requested a trade. GM Larry Bird said he felt "betrayed" that Artest wanted out after the Pacers stood by him after the brawl. He was traded to Sacramento in January 2006
His career began to turn around when he was traded to Houston before the 2008-09 season. "I'll be a kid in a candy store," he said. "I'm going to dance with the stars"
