Metta World Peace enjoyed being an assistant coach for the Palisades High girls basketball team this season and played a vital role in the Dolphins’ run to the first City Section Open Division title and a state playoff berth.
However, the former Los Angeles Lakers forward isn’t quite ready to end his professional career. Last week, the 35-year-old signed with Pallacanestro Cantu in the Italian League.
World Peace, formerly Ron Artest, averaged 19 points and six rebounds in 15 games this season for the Sichuan Blue Whales in the Chinese Basketball Association. His NBA career included stints in Chicago, Indiana, Sacramento, Houston, New York and Los Angeles, where he helped the Lakers win their last championship in 2010.
World Peace expressed interest in the men’s head coaching job at his alma mater, St. John’s University in New York, before fellow Red Storm alumnus and NBA great Chris Mullin was hired Monday to replace outgoing coach Steve Lavin. Mullin ended his collegiate career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,440 points.
World Peace announced in June that he had joined head coach Torino Johnson’s staff at Palisades, where his son Ron Artest III plays on the varsity team. Younger son Jeron has since enrolled at Palisades and intends to play next season.
— Steve Galluzzo
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