The Evolution of Ron Artest

NBA player Ron Artest recently announced that he will change his name to Metta World Peace. His revelation has been hailed by some as an arrogant publicity ploy. Others say it is just another in a string of bizarre actions by one the NBA’s most erratic figures.

Artest, despite being among the NBA’s best defenders in the post, is probably best remembered for his role in the much hyped 2004 fight between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers.

Following the fight, Artest received and served a 1 year suspension from the NBA. Since that time Artest has remained an emotional player who plays with a passion for the game that sometimes seems to transcend reason. Yet these levels of emotion, these occasional lapses in emotional regulation are some of the things that make Ron Artest so endearing.

What Artest proves time and again is that, if he is nothing else, he is a real person.  He is a flawed person who, unlike some of his teammates, allows his cracks to show.

Artest is not from a privileged background; he grew up on violent streets in parts of New York yet untouched by gentrification.  As a youth, Artest witnessed many acts of violence including a brutal basketball related murder. However, Artest is not a product of these streets, he is example of transcendence, of redemption. He is also a person who carries with him those memories, those habits, those insecurities; the experiences stamped into his psyche that cannot be expunged with million dollar contracts or endorsement deals.

I applaud Artest’s willingness to emphasize world peace in such a fallable and human way.  Even more I applaud his consistent efforts to advocate on behalf the mentally ill and to use his celebrity to be more than a false, exaggerated stereotype of a spoiled NBA thug.  Whatever name Artest chooses, he remains a growing and evolving individual who deserves consideration as a whole person and not simply a caricature.