L.A. Lakers Star Ron Artest Changing His Name to 'Peace'

It's not the craziest thing he's ever done, but Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest has filed a petition to legally change his name ... to Metta World Peace.

Yeah, yeah, we know, it's a particularly interesting name for a guy who, as a member of the Indiana Pacers team, infamously brawled with NBA fans in 2004 and lost $7 million in salary with

It's not the craziest thing he's ever done, but Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest has filed a petition to legally change his name ... to Metta World Peace.

Yeah, yeah, we know, it's a particularly interesting name for a guy who, as a member of the Indiana Pacers team, infamously brawled with NBA fans in 2004 and lost $7 million in salary with the subsequent suspension.

Better yet, according to TMZ.com, Artest isn't just changing his name legally; he now wants his Lakers jersey to reflect his new last name, Peace.

TMZ, which is usually on top of all things legal since it's operated by lawyer Harvey Levin, reports that the name change, as wacky as it might sound, is likely to happen, as judges tend to grant these kinds of requests as long as there's no fraud or confusion involved.

Actually, those Pistons fans Artest fought with might be confused by his new quest for Peace, but perhaps that's not the kind of confusion TMZ was referring to.

Meanwhile, as the world breathlessly waits to see if the judge will give Peace a chance, let's remember that this is hardly the first time an athlete has made such a dramatic adjustment to his moniker.

Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali, Lew Alcindor became Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Eldrick Woods became Tiger Woods (officially, on his 21st birthday), Bobby Moore became Ahmad Rashad and Chad Johnson became Chad Ochocinco (and then started dating a Basketball Wives star, so ... the name change wasn't the craziest thing he's ever done, either).

Oh, and one more suggestion for Mr. Artest ... if you really want to switch things up, look to Prince, and, instead of making your new last name the word "peace," just use the symbol.

Read more