Lakers: Metta World Peace Sincere, Open in Exit Interview
Metta World Peace’s exit interview summed up the Lakers season and his individual season like only he could
Bittersweet. The Lakers 2016 seasons is over; Kobe Bryant has said good-bye, signed both of his jersey numbers on the Lakers court, hugged everyone and then came the exit interviews.
Anytime longtime Lakers fans are given that chance to relish and reminisce with a veteran player who has unique insights and is not afraid to tell people what’s on his mind, that is priceless. After a long, tough, emotional season, Metta World Peace filled that role.
When World Peace takes the microphone wearing his signature Panda Friend t-shirt, anything can happen! Remember his post-championship interview? He brought in his whole family in with him and opened with, “Wheaties, I got Wheaties.” That was followed by a request to the press to look up from their laptops and notice him. “Hey all of you over there on your laptop, acknowledge me please!”
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The sheer joy coming oozing from his spirit brought laughter from the press and tears of happiness from fans sharing in his euphoria. The interview was long and entertaining, but it was also unforgettable.
Metta’s 2016 exit interview also came after a champagne celebration in the Lakers locker room, but one that was a bit more solemn and retrospective. The sentiment came from a champion who doesn’t know what’s going to happen next in his career. He is an athlete who wants to let everyone know why he is still relevant and what he accomplished this past season with the Lakers.
Not only was it Metta’s chance to connect with his fans and the press, it was also an opportunity to impress any future employer considering their options for a need for a veteran on the bench who hasn’t lost his defensive skills.
Metta made himself useful on the bench, “If [Kobe’s] going to miss every shot, I’m going to cheer for him all night. ‘Cause he didn’t start off hot—he started off looking like a bum, huh? I’m like, ‘Kobe, man, you don’t got it no more man,'” said Peace. “But if he was going to go out like this, we’re going to go out strong. We’re going to go out positive as if we won a championship, no crack in the armor. And then he just caught fire.”
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Most fans may not have noticed that Metta didn’t get to play one second in Bryant’s last game. It wasn’t lost on this veteran, though, as he explained that his bench warming didn’t stop him from celebrating every play Kobe made. The game against Utah could’ve been Metta’s last Lakers game as well as Kobe’s, which makes you wonder what Byron Scott’s motivation might’ve been for making such a decision.
You had to play close attention, but when you watched Kobe head to the bench, most times he would plant himself next to his fellow champion Peace. They shared smiles, laughter and pats on the back while taking in the games from the sideline. In the interview, he equated himself to Kobe in the fact that both he and Kobe never back down, they always give it all they have on the court no matter how spent they are. It’s hard to argue against him on that count.
This season was hard for World Peace. He admitted he was depressed, but that he was appreciative to have earned a place on the Lakers roster. He spoke on his pride as a pro athlete and he’s prepared to earn a spot again on an NBA team next season. The veteran Laker has no idea what’s going to happen as far as next season and he’s okay with that, saying he is patient.
Metta made sure he fully explained all that he was able to do on the court and how he kept his body in shape. He tested himself against the Clippers to show everyone and himself he still had ‘it.’
“I wanted to see if I still had that respect,” he said. “Every time I had the ball, it was a bucket or a foul.”
Remorseful that he didn’t get to add a lot to his career stats, he did what he could to coach and teach his young teammates and he did it with humility.
The media wondered if coaching was in his future considering he doesn’t want to stop playing in the NBA, but does coach high school ball on the weekends. Metta answered with an emphatic yes, saying he “absolutely” wants to be a coach one day before listing coaches who have mentored and coached him such as Phil Jackson, Rick Adelman, and Byron Scott.
It was a wide-ranging and fun ride in the Metta World Peace exit interview, which can be seen below:
There’s nothing quite like Metta World Peace live, raw, and uncut in an interview.
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While it would be too much to have every player in the league be like Metta, it’s always a pleasure to see him in this form.