Metta World Peace wanted to "inspire and bring youth together all around the world" with his 2011 name change. His newest name change reflects where he'll play his next season of basketball.
World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, will now go by The Pandas Friend, while playing for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). "I'm changing my name for China this season!!!! You guys will love it," World Peace tweeted on Aug. 1.
Unlike his change from Artest to World Peace, the 34-year-old athlete won't make this name official in a court of law. The Pandas Friend will only serve as his nickname when he plays for the Sichuan Blue Whales. He will earn $1.43 million playing in China, which makes him the highest paid player in the CBA.
He already had to correct people who were mispronouncing his new moniker. "Guys, my Chinese name is not 'Panda Friend,' it's 'The Pandas Friend,'" he tweeted on Aug. 7. World Peace added that he would explain the meaning behind his new nickname in his book.
Giant pandas are an endangered species native to south central China. Estimates for pandas living in the wild range from 1,500 to 3,000. They now live in mountain ranges near the Sichuan province, after farming, deforestation and other developments drove them out of their lowlands habitat.
World Peace left the NBA in February 2014 when the Knicks bought out his two-year contract he signed in 2013. He previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls. As a member of the Pacers, he received the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history (86 games), stemming from a massive brawl during a 2004 game against the Detroit Pistons.
The NBA star contemplated changing his name for years, "but it took many years of research and soul-searching to find a first name that was both personally meaningful and inspirational," his publicist Courtney Barnes said in 2011. He chose the first name Metta because it's a Buddhist term that means loving kindness and friendliness toward others.
