LA Honors Former Laker With His Own ‘Metta World Peace Day’
The Los Angeles City Council celebrated the first annual “Metta World Peace Day” on Friday. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez declared May 15 as a new holiday across LA. Metta World Peace is a former Los Angeles Lakers forward, who played alongside Kobe Bryant and helped LA win the 2010 NBA championship.
During Game 7 against the Boston Celtics, World Peace scored 20 points and scored a clutch 3-pointer in the final minutes of the game. Nov 20, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and forward Metta World Peace (15) react in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at the Staples Center. The Lakers defeated the Nets 95-90.
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports Before joining the Lakers, World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest) served an 86-game suspension for his involvement in the “Malice at the Palace” brawl in 2004. While playing for the Indiana Pacers, World Peace committed a hard foul on Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace in the final seconds of a game. That hard foul sparked a brawl that would ultimately involve multiple fans in attendance.
One fan threw a beer at World Peace, which led to him and other players entering the stands. The brawl tainted his reputation for many seasons afterwards. But after winning the 2010 NBA championship with the Lakers, he thanked his psychiatrist and encouraged people to seek help for their mental health.
“Mental health affects all of us. But too often, people don’t talk about it,” World Peace said in the postgame interview. “I want to send a clear message that it’s OK to go to therapy, to ask for help and to take care of yourself.