The NBA's MWP goes "Dancing with the Stars"
By Nicholai R. Roska
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 21 Sep 2011
LOS ANGELES -- Ron Artest is now officially the NBA's MWP.
No, no, that's not a misprint for MVP. It really is MWP, an acronym for his legal new name -- Metta World Peace.
So the Artest formerly known as Ron, who was a key slugger in the infamous "Palace Brawl" of 2004 is now Mr. World Peace. And his first name is derived from a Buddhist term for loving kindness and friendliness towards others.
The beauty of life, they say, is that it is full of sweet ironies. Thanks for the assist, Metta.
Mired in the rut of an ongoing lockout, most of the NBA's elite are barely making a bleep in the publicity radar. Not Mr. World Peace, who has had a buzzing offseason where he went to court to petition a name change while contemplating playing in an overseas basketball court.
And last night, here in sunny Los Angeles, World Peace took the stage as one of the contestants in Season 13 of of ABC-TV's hit reality show "Dancing with the Stars."
With partner Peta Murgatroyd, World Peace danced his heart out and swung his hips like the life of the party. But the judges weren't tickled pink. They pretty much summed up his first dance as a cha-cha with less brouhaha.
Judge Bruno referred to World Peace as a "Danceatron" and praised the Laker forward for his "length of bone," which in simple English just means World Peace is a bit of a skyscraper at 6-foot-7.
Len Goodman, the other judge, was not as kind. He called World Peace's footwork "atrocious" and that his performance was "all sizzle, no sausage." Thank God the old Ron Artest, who had a history of violence, wasn't dancing. Goodman's sharp criticism could have gotten a sharper elbow.
Even Carrie Ann Inaba, the nicest of the trio of jurors, struggled to be polite while pointing out the technical breakdown in World Peace's cha-cha rendition. She did say Metta was "sexy."
Well, in my book, world peace and loving kindness, are sexy, too.
All told, World Peace scored a mere 14 out of a possible 30 points, which puts him in peril for elimination. But the good news is that "Dancing with the Stars" is a popularity contest that allows TV viewers to vote. And that bodes well for the immensely popular World Peace.
No NBA? No sweat. There's World Peace. And for now, that's good enough for me. (NRR)
Photo: Artest (R) meets Pacquiao at the Wildcard Gym in Hollywood.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Nicholai R. Roska.
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