Metta World Peace, whose 7-month-old name belies his many years of belligerent tendencies, was given a mere slap-on-the-wrist suspension of seven games by the National Basketball Association for his latest disorderly conduct.
This thuggish athlete in a Los Angeles Lakers’ uniform, who was Ron Artest until he legally changed his name last September, leveled James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder last Sunday with an inexcusable elbow slam to the head, causing Harden to suffer a concussion.
The Lakers’ general manager, Mitch Kupchak, said, “His most recent lapse in judgment is not to be condoned or accepted.”
This is the third time that Artest/World Peace has been suspended for at least seven games by the NBA for malicious behavior during his 13-year, five-team career in the NBA.
Unfortunately for professional sports, Artest/World Peace is not the only athlete who has displayed such egregious conduct of late.
The current National Hockey League Stanley Cup playoffs have been marked with horrible blows and blind side hits, some of which have caused serious injuries.
The worst of these NHL unsportsmanlike hits was administered by Raffi Torres of the Phoenix Coyotes against the Chicago Blackhawks’ forward, Marian Hossa, in the third game of their Western Conference first-round playoff series eight days ago. This was such a vicious, high-speed hit directed up under the chin that it resulted in Hossa being taken off the ice on a stretcher.
The NHL seemed to take this attack on Hossa a bit more seriously than NBA Commissioner David Stern took the horrific blow to Harden. Torres was suspended for 25 games. But the Coyotes advanced by beating the Blackhawks, 4 games to 2, in their first round series.
A Long ‘Rap Sheet’
Ron Artest earned a bad-boy reputation long ago. He was suspended for 86 games in 2004 while a member of the Indiana Pacers because he ran up into the stands to fight with fans during a game against the Detroit Pistons. Three years later Artest got his first seven-day suspension after he pleaded no contest to a domestic violence charge. He was playing for the Sacramento Kings then.
With a rap sheet like that, it is strange that Commissioner David Stern would say the latest seven-day suspension was part of an NBA policy of “imposition of appropriate penalties for players with a history of on-court altercations.”
It used to be that three strikes and you were out. In this case, World Peace should be suspended for at least the remainder of this season and well into next season. As it stands, World Peace missed the final regular season game for the Lakers last Thursday and will be out of the first six games the Lakers play in the NBA playoffs that started this weekend.
By contrast, Torres’ suspension is the longest in the NHL in five years and will extend into the 2012-2013 season. Torres, like World Peace, is a man with a rap sheet. This 25-day sit-down for Torres is the third time in the last 13 months that he has been suspended. The other suspensions were four and two days, respectively, for a hit to an opponent’s head and a blind charge into another foe.
Jekyll or Hyde?
Metta World Peace is a man who seems to have a Jekyll-Hyde personality. On the one hand, this 6-foot-7, 260-pound strong, fast, muscular athlete, who can administer serious injury to others when so inclined, has been honored with awards for his numerous charity works.
Just a year ago, when he was still Ron Artest, he was given the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. This is presented annually by the Professional Basketball Writers Association “for outstanding dedication to the community.”
Kennedy was a former NBA Commissioner. Artest earned the honor for “tireless efforts to promote awareness of mental health.”
Born and raised in Long Island City in the borough of Queens, New York City, Artest attended nearby St. John’s University for just two years, 1997–1999, majoring in math while starring in basketball. He left to join the NBA after his sophomore year and has been a controversial but generous person ever since.
In addition to working with mental health charities, Artest has spent considerable of his wealth to pay for private school education for capable children from Queensbridge, the nation’s largest public housing project. That is where Artest grew up.
He also joined fellow NBA players five years ago in a journey to Nairobi, Africa, to assist the Feed the Children Program. He has regularly spoken before grammar and high school youngsters to emphasize the need for them to get a college education and stay away from drugs.
Artest actually applied for his name change in Los Angeles court last June. The court delayed approval until Ron Artest paid a number of delinquent traffic tickets. This is a man of many moods.
Out of Control
Sort of reminds one of the world’s one-time leading golfer, Tiger Woods, whose charitable foundation, named after him, is a wonderful and inspirational organization helping minority and under privileged children. You cannot fault Tiger for how he spends so much of his great wealth on these young people.
But Tiger Woods himself has not actually grown up yet despite being a multi-millionaire at age 36.
Oh, Tiger has not been caught slugging opposing golfers the way Artest/World Peace or Torres went after unsuspecting basketball and hockey players.
But during the recent Masters Tournament when Tiger underperformed, the former No. 1 golfer in the world was the only competitor to be heard cursing on television when he hit a drive on the 13th hole one day. He was also the only one who misbehaved in the Masters by throwing down a club and then kicking it on the 16th tee at Augusta National.
Woods, who spends time and money in worthy charitable causes to help young people, just like Artest/World Peace, also continues to disrespect the great game he plays by behaving in a very childish and churlish manner on the golf course.
Anyone interested in seeing the vicious elbowing of Harden by World Peace a week ago can do so by going on the Internet to “World Peace,” and there will be a number of links to a short film of that disgraceful blow to the head.
Many athletes who have earned fortunes in this age of multi-million-dollar payouts for excellence on the fields of play have given generously of their time and wealth to assist the needy. Most of these men and women perform as expected in a sportsmanlike manner on and off courts, gridirons, diamonds, courses, rinks, etc.
It is hard to understand the occasional dual behavior by a few of these otherwise generous celebrity athletes who just can’t seem to control themselves once they get into the fray.
Gordon White served 43 years as a sport reporter for The New York Times. His email is [email protected].
