3. The name change to Metta World Peace
Only the player formerly known as Ron Artest could change his name to something as zany as Metta World Peace and everyone would accept it. And that’s exactly what he did.
Leading up to the 2011-12 season, Ron Artest (which was what he was known as then) announced his name change to Metta World Peace, creating arguably the greatest jersey of all-time. Surprisingly, this wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, but something MWP thought about for a long time. However, he was searching for a suitable name to settle on before choosing Metta World Peace.
The reason for the name change, explained by MWP himself, was “meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world.” You can consider him a clown all you want, but his motives are always in the right place.