5 Reasons Lakers Fans Love Metta World Peace

No. 3 – What You See Is What You Get

This man says what is on his mind, does what he wants to do, and what you see is what you get. Just this past week, he called all the players in the NBA “soft.”

Now who does that? After all the ridicule he had endured around the league and the lack of support he received when he wanted to return and play in the NBA, who could blame him?

There’s no sugar coating what he says, and there is a lot of truth in the ‘soft’ comments gathered by Kurt Helin of NBC Sports who doesn’t agree with World Peace.

"“I remember I came into the NBA in 1999, the game was a little bit more rough. The game now is more for kids. It’s not really a man’s game anymore,” World Peace said. “The parents are really protective of their children. They cry to their AAU coaches. They cry to the refs, ‘That’s a foul. That’s a foul.’ “Sometimes I wish those parents would just stay home, don’t come to the game, and now translated, these same AAU kids whose parents came to the game, ‘That’s a foul.’ These kids are in the NBA. So now we have a problem. You’ve got a bunch of babies professionally around the world.” “It’s no longer a man’s game,” he said. “It’s a baby’s game. There’s softies everywhere. Everybody’s soft. Nobody’s hard no more. So, you just deal with it, you adjust and that’s it.”"

One thing he’s known for is his style of play, the type that gets a player technical fouls, ejected, and suspended in today’s NBA.

Jun 7, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Former basketball player Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) during the second quarter in game two of the NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. The Cavaliers defeated the Warriors 95-93. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

And while he is a beast on the court, he is a sweetheart off the court. I know from personal experience.

One day at work, I found out Metta was in the lobby of my building, I went nuts. Since my office had a huge window to the lobby, I ran to the window waved my arms wildly to get his attention.

His friend poked his shoulder and pointed up to me, I motioned a heart pumping with my fingers, and blew him kisses, acting like a fool.

You would think he would just wave, right? Nope! He blew kisses back to me, he formed a heart with his fingers and sent it up to me spreading world peace.

Metta World Peace is not hiding anything; fans know he has a therapist, fans know why he has a therapist, fans know what he is thinking, and fans see what he is feeling in his facial expressions and body language. He shows the world they don’t have to be afraid to be yourself, which is a rare, admirable trait these days.

Most folks hide their real self and feel the need to fit in, some jobs even dictate that you fit into their mold of who they want you to be and how they want you to act.

That said, this year, World Peace has to mold a little to keep his job and now we know that molding will not include holding back his opinions on the game of basketball, at least.

Next: No. 2 - He Enjoys the Game of Basketball