Just when you thought you had seen it all regarding Ron Artest ...

The Lakers forward filed paperwork Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court to legally change his name to Metta World Peace.

“Metta” is a Buddhist term. One definition for the word is “a strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others.”

NBA players need to file papers with the league to change their jersey number, but no such action is necessary for name changes, according to a league official. It is up to the Lakers, and Artest, to determine if his new name will appear on the back of his jersey.


Other NBA players who changed their names include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (from Lew Alcindor), Bison Dele (from Brian Williams) and Mahmud Abdul-Raff (from Chris Jackson).

For a long time, Artest carried the reputation as an instigator in the infamous “Palace Brawl” in 2004, but he seemed to complete a personality turnaround in recent years.

Last December, he raffled off his 2010 Lakers championship ring, raising about $600,000 for various mental-health service providers. Two months ago, he received the NBA’s citizenship award for the 2010-11 season, as determined by pro basketball media members.

Artest, 31, is due back in court for a name-change hearing on August 26, according to court records.


The attorney who filed the proposal, Jill Rubin, said she was handling the change of Ronald William Artest Jr.'s name but had no additional information as to why Artest was doing so.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com

lance.pugmire@latimes.com