“Metta World Peace turned into Metta World War against James Harden”: When Ron Artest delivered future MVP the beating of his lifetime

Ron Artest is one of the most notorious players in the history of the NBA. Metta World Peace wasn’t peaceful very often.

Most NBA fans know the former Lakers‘ swingman more for his antics on the court than his championship-winning 3-point shot in the 2010 NBA Finals or his Defensive Player of the Year season.

The major antagonist of the famous Malice in the Palace incident in November 2004, Artest, still holds the record for the longest ban (86 games) for an on-court incident. It was the year following his best season in the league.

What could have been the year that should have made Ron a star in the league ended up being a year to forget. But even after returning from the season-long ban, he couldn’t manage his anger which might have cost him more than anyone else with that kind of calibre on both ends of the court.

One of his famous incidents, that came in April 2012, was against James Harden who would play a crucial role in eliminating Kobe Bryant-led Lakers in the first round of Playoffs within a few days of this brutal regular season game.

Also read: Michael Jordan bet $100,000 on a game of rock-paper-scissors”: When the Bulls legend put a small piece of his $2.1 billion fortune at stake in a game of chance

When Metta World Peace turned into Metta World War against James Harden

In a rehearsal for their future matchup with the OKC Thunder in the  playoffs, the LA Lakers were in a tough spot and needed something big to get going. And something big did happen as soon as Artest dunked the ball in his typically wild way and was walking down the court while celebrating.

Probably when Ron Artest gave James Harden the standing people’s elbow pic.twitter.com/AFutMAiXZ1

— M (@LightInLightOut) November 28, 2020

He was suspended for seven games for the incident, which, considering his history, many believed wasn’t severe enough at the time. Believe him or not, this incident took a toll on the 2004 All-Star and might have been a reason why he officially changed his to Metta-World Peace. He talked about the incident in his appearance on All The Smoke podcast.

“This is what really happened. Mike Brown came to me and said, ‘Yo, I need more energy.’ So, I got a dunk and [screamed] ‘argh!’ I was hyped. Too hyped. And at this moment, James nudged me. It wasn’t that big, it was the same thing I did with Ben Wallace. I was like, ‘get off me.’” Metta told.

Meta continued, “I thought it would’ve been on the shoulder like just rubbed ‘get off!’. Not an elbow. I didn’t really hit Harden. He would’ve had a knot. That kind of hurt me a lot. I hate that image, it’s one of my worst.”

Also read: “Three other players gave Matt Barnes a tougher time than LeBron James?!”: When the former NBA champ revealed the 5 toughest players he ever guarded

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Read More