Artest's name change to Metta World Peace approved (BLOG)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ron Artest's bid to become Mr. World Peace was delayed, but not denied.

A court commissioner granted the Lakers forward's request to officially change his name to Metta World Peace on Friday, three weeks after the bid was blocked because Artest had unpaid traffic tickets.

Artest, 31, did not attend a brief hearing Friday.

Superior court spokeswoman Patricia Kelly said that Artest's new last name will be World Peace.

His publicist, Courtney Barnes, said the player chose Metta because it is a traditional Buddhist word that means loving and kindness toward all.

"Changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world," World Peace said in a statement released after the hearing. "After this short delay, my tickets have been paid and I'm glad that it is now official."

He requested the change in June, citing only personal reasons. He is scheduled to appear on the next season of "Dancing With the Stars."

Barnes wrote in an email that World Peace will now have to get a new driver's license to reflect his new name, but the switch won't affect his contracts with the Lakers or any endorsement deals.

Artest helped the Lakers win an NBA title in 2010 and in April he received an award for outstanding service and dedication to the community.

He has testified before Congress to support mental health legislation.

Artest isn't the first athlete to adopt an unusual name.

Lloyd Bernard Free, a professional basketball player who played in the league from 1975-88, had his first name legally changed to World in 1981. A friend had given him the nickname because of his 44-inch vertical leaps and 360-degree dunks.

In the NFL, wide receiver Chad Johnson legally changed his last name to Ochocinco in August 2008 to reflect his jersey number. The name means "eight five" in Spanish. Ochocinco is now with the New England Patriots.

Michael Jordan is fined 100 large for his thoughts on Andrew Bogut (BLOG)

(YAHOO)Lost in the apparent momentum of the recent batch of lockout negotiations is the month-old memory of Michael Jordan saying nice things about Andrew Bogut to an Australian newspaper. Nothing wrong with saying nice things about Andrew Bogut(notes), we reckon, as the guy is a heck of a basketball player whose defense sadly remains quite underrated. Jordan, the owner of theCharlotte Bobcats, wasn't even tampering as he heaped praise upon the Aussie big man.

But he's an owner, and owners can't talk about players during the lockout. Can't even tweet the guys. And though Jordan's eventual fine apparently won't reach the $1 million limits as rumored earlier this summer, he will be fined by the league. To the tune of $100,000.

Even for M.J., that's a lot. Especially with the Bobcats bleeding cash. ESPN's Chris Broussard first reported the story, and he's aligning Jordan's comments about Bogut not so much with the fact that he was talking up an Aussie to an Australian newspaper, but because Jordan and Milwaukee Bucksowner Herb Kohl (who gave Bogut a contract extension that averages eight figures per year a few seasons ago) are the two biggest proponents of an improved NBA revenue-sharing system:


The players' union has pushed the league to expand its revenue-sharing plan, saying a plan similar to that of the NFL and Major League Baseball would answer the financial woes of the clubs losing money. But the league, which claims to have lost $300 million last season, has countered that even vast revenue sharing would not allow it to turn a profit, according to sources.

Tricky, tricky, tricky. The NBA needs to find a way to balance things out, but according to Broussard they're contending that using the same split-pie system as the NFL and MLB won't work in the NBA because the NBA's respective pie isn't big enough.

On one hand, I kind of like the idea of forcing smaller markets to think in smarter, more analytical ways as they put together their teams. The Bucks (to a lesser extent) and Bobcats, on pure basketball terms, have been poorly run in ways that a lack of split revenues had nothing to do with.

On the other hand? Doesn't there have to be some improved way to help teams in basketball-mad but TV revenue-lousy cities like Charlotte and Milwaukee?

If Jordan and Kohl are teaming up, maybe Jordan can get the Senator to pitch in on this $100,000 fine.