Los Angeles Lakers player Ron Artest has filed with the L.A. County Superior Court to change his name to “Metta World Peace,” according to TMZ.
The outspoken Artest looks to follow in the footsteps of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, formerly Chad Johnson, all in the name of what he sees as a good cause.
If his petition is cleared by the L.A. court, Artest could conceivably wear “Peace” on the back of his No. 15 Lakers jersey. A spokesperson for the Lakers referred TheDC to the NBA as to what he will wear on his jersey. It is still possible that the court will deny Artest’s petition.
Another Laker, Lew Alcindor, famously changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after converting to Islam.
Other conspicuous name-changes?
A man named Douglas Allen Smith Jr. says he changed his name to Captain Awesome in 2010.
In the early-2000s, Karin Robertson became GoVeg.com, Christopher Garnett became KentuckyFriedCruelty.com, and Brandi Valladolid became RinglingBeatsAnimals.com, as noted by LegalZoom.com.
And don’t forget the Toy Story fan who changed his name to Buzz Lightyear.