The Highlights

Metta World Peace says he was offered money to throw multiple games while playing college ball at St. John’s.

He did not accept any of the overtures, but admits that it “crossed his mind” when the offer was $35,000.

Metta World Peace isn’t a huge fan of sports gambling — and it all traces back to college, when he says he was offered money to throw multiple games, once for $35,000.

Here’s what he said in an interview with Yahoo Sports:

“I got approached a couple of times to throw games. The one interesting time they come to me in my neighborhood and say, ‘Hey, I got $35,000 for you.’ I’m like, ‘That’s cool, I’ll take $35,000.’ They say, ‘We need you to throw a game.’ That’s when I’m like, ‘You a—holes.’ But it crossed my mind — $35,000 to throw a game? Not bad. But that’s the problem … they find these kids that ain’t got no money and they attack them.”

World Peace, who went by Ron Artest back in college, didn’t specify which games he was asked to throw or when it occurred. He played two years at St. John’s in the late 1990s, averaging 10.9 points per game. The Red Storm went 22-10 and 28-9 overall in his two seasons, getting bounced in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament and reaching the Elite Eight in 1999.

World Peace also mentioned that he’d always get annoyed by bettors thanking him for winning them money while he was playing in the NBA.

“I hate when people say, ‘Hey you won me a lot of money’ because when I’m playing in the NBA, [gambling] isn’t allowed. … ‘I’m not allowed to talk betting and I know you know that. You’re gettin’ me in trouble here.’”

Watch the full video interview from Yahoo Sports here: