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Former Lakers Champion Joins Cal State LA WBB Coaching Staff
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- Former Lakers Champion Joins Cal State LA WBB Coaching Staff
Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace , formerly known as Ron Artest, is joining the Cal State LA women's basketball coaching staff. The program and World Peace announced in a joint Instagram post on Saturday that the NBA champion was hired as an associate head coach.
Sep 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) is interviewed by reporters at media day at Toyota Sports Center.. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
"From Queensbridge, New York to Los Angeles, CA. From NBA Champion, to CCAA Tournament Champion. Moment of silence for the champions…
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"We're delighted to announce Metta World Peace as our Associate Head Coach. His experience and knowledge goes beyond the basketball court. A champion of mental health, and a champion of our program," the Instagram post read.
Cal State LA's head coach is Torino Johnson, and World Peace is joining five other assistant coaches on the staff. The other five coaches are Kameron McClinton, Sabrina White, Ryan Lew, Matthew Rodriguez and Joshua Hopkins.
The Golden Eagles went 24-7 overall last season and won the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament title.
World Peace's Career With the Lakers
World Peace made two stints with the Lakers from 2009-13 and then again from 2015-17. In his first season with Los Angeles, the 1999 first-round draft pick helped lead the Lakers to the 2010 NBA championship.
November 24, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace (37) dribbles the basketball during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 111-77. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
He played a crucial role throughout the 2010 NBA championship run. In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, World Peace grabbed a buzzer-beating offensive rebound then scored a game-winning layup against the Phoenix Suns .
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Then, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, World Peace hit a clutch 3-pointer to seal the Lakers' victory over the Boston Celtics . In 2011, he famously changed his name from Ron Artest to Metta World Peace to try to escape his formerly controversial reputation and inspire positivity.
World Peace retired in 2017. After his playing career ended, he became a player development coach for the South Bay Lakers in the G League for one season. He will now continue his coaching career with Cal State LA.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The post Former Lakers Champion Joins Cal State LA WBB Coaching Staff appeared first on LA Sports Report .
