For much of Metta World Peace 's career, there was always an assumption that he could lash out at any minute. It all stemmed from his involvement in the Malice at the Palace and plagued his entire career, always overshadowing what he could do on the court.
He was always one of the best defenders in the NBA, highlighted by his 2004 Defensive Player of the Year award and even an All-Star selection. Still, fans treated him as someone with anger management issues.
Not many fans know that, as his career progressed after Malice, World Peace began to improve himself and his mental health. Aware of his issues, he began to go to therapy when he was playing for the Sacramento Kings and then the Houston Rockets .
It was during those times that World Peace would admit he was getting better, which allowed him to focus more on his playing career as he tried to finally make the Finals and, hopefully, win a title. He was confronting the anxieties that followed him throughout his career until everything culminated at the biggest stage.
World Peace further explained how he got into therapy, recalling that he was actually mandated to attend sessions for himself in Sacramento before eventually opting to continue them after he was traded to the Rockets.
He had begun committing to working on himself through therapy. How it affects his life and career, in turn, it helped him learn how to deal with anxiety and regulate his emotions in ways that later became crucial during the most important games of his career.
"At the age of 27 in Sacramento, I started to really take psychology seriously," he said .
His mental health improved, and so did his game. In Houston , World Peace would elevate into becoming a lethal knock-down shooter that can still defend the league's best players. He himself admitted that his psychologist helped him become calmer and look at the game differently.
"When I look at my season in Houston, when you look at that series against the Lakers and even the other teams and how I played, my shots were falling," World Peace recalled. "I was doing more, I feel more relaxed.
"I wasn't that tense and I didn't have anxiety and it had to do a lot with it had to do a lot with her," he continued.
Despite his reputation, World Peace was starting to attract interest from the rest of the league as he entered free agency in 2009. Many teams offered him lucrative contracts, even exploring the possibility of playing overseas . Still, in the end, he chose what he believed was the destination where he would finally reach the Finals and capture a ring: the Los Angeles Lakers .
He kept his psychologist in L.A. even after the required sessions ended. World Peace had found someone he trusted, and that decision became increasingly important as the Lakers, especially head coach Phil Jackson and star Kobe Bryant , came to rely on him more in late-game situations.
"I was able to bring in a little calmness, and then when I got to the Lakers, I was ready for a lot of the anxieties with not knowing if you're going to win, " World Peace shared.
His calmness was evident throughout the season and into the postseason. He helped LA reach the Finals and set up a 2008 Finals rematch with their arch-rivals, the Boston Celtics . Both teams went back and forth, leading to a monumental Game 7.
In the do-or-die game, the Lakers trusted World Peace more than ever. He was given more shots and freedom. It all came down in the last minute with the Lakers up, 76-73. Bryant had the ball and was double-teamed.
Many fans expected Kobe to force a shot. Instead, he passed it to World Peace, who was waiting on the perimeter and knocked down a 3-pointer that essentially sealed the game and the title for L.A. The years of hardship and therapy had finally culminated in a ring he had always wanted, and he did so by sealing the game with 20 points.
In the post-game interview with Doris Burke, World Peace was with immaculate composure. He thanked his family, friends, and his wife before expressing gratitude to his psychologist, Dr. Santhi Peraisamy, whom he cited as helping him cope with the emotions that came with playing in the playoffs.
"When the game was over, and I was able just to breathe and focus and just be relaxed through the whole game, it made me think like, 'Oh, I had to think of my psychologist,'" he stated
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Today, World Peace is an advocate for mental health awareness and has spoken publicly about removing the taboo of therapy when it comes to athletes. In some ways, his decision to thank his therapist after the 2010 Finals was an early example of his newfound advocacy,
At a time when mental health wasn't as accepted in sports, World Peace made it a part of who he is and how it allowed him to work on himself after years of scrutiny and mental health issues, as well as have the composure to knock down one of the most iconic shots in Finals history.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
