Lakers: 50 Greatest Players in Franchise History

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37. Ron Artest/Metta World Peace

Ron Artest/Metta World Peace/The Panda’s Friend is a deservedly infamous figure in the history of the NBA itself, but his last few years of productivity in the NBA were spent with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2009-13. Over that time, Artest remained an integral part in the success of those teams as a high quality two-way player that, though a bit off-kilter, was able to swing games in favor of the purple and gold.

Not including his current stint in Los Angeles (which isn’t much to speak of at this point, anyway) Artest/Peace wasn’t a wowing statistical monster by any stretch. Through 298 games with the team, he averaged 9.9 points, four rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He was a decent three-point threat for the Lakers over that run with the team, but his real value came as a physical leader and a lockdown defender for those teams.

While there was never a Malice at the Palace type incident in Los Angeles, Artest/Peace was hardly an angel once he put on the Lakers jersey. Even still, his value in terms of being a strong defender and a potential scoring threat helped propel the Kobe-Pau Lakers to the heights that they reached.

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