Ron Artest Should Use Court Delay to Reconsider Name Change

Ron Artest knows who he is, what he means to his family and to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Artest knows the journey he has taken to this point in his life and his NBA career.  Further, he recognizes how he has gone from jumping into the stands to punch a fan at the Palace of Auburn Hills when he was with the Indiana Pacers to shouting thanks to his psychiatrist after the Lakers won the 2010 NBA Finals.

Artest doesn't need to change his name to Metta World Peace to demonstrate his transformation.

Hopefully, the Lakers forward takes a hint from the court delay issued on his name change request.

The quandary surrounding Artest's name change boils down to three points.

 

Artest's Requested New Name Is Simply an Avatar.

Ordinary people change their names for deep-seated personal reasons.  Some people, both ordinary and famous, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Muhammed Ali, changed their names for religious reasons.



Others, such as the late basketball player World B. Free and Chad Ochocinco, changed their names for some pithy idealistic or promotional purpose.

Artest's requested name change falls into this category.  Artest does not show religious reason for his name change.  Otherwise, he might have renamed himself Augustine or Prince of Peace.  Also, Artest is not seeking refuge or favor from Code Pink, the feminist peace activist group.

In a way, Artest is making his name change to symbolize a personal transition.  Again, this is unnecessary because he has shown his transition in his play for the Lakers, as well as his domestic standing.

While Artest has said that he requests the name change for personal reasons, he seems to be changing his name in a pithy appeal for world peace.

If Artest wishes to make an appeal for world peace, he should pin a Pax Mundo button on his Lakers jersey, p...

About the Author