Kobe Bryant Says Metta World Peace in the Best Shape Since His Indiana Days

Following a sub-par season last year, Metta World Peace showed up in terrific shape for training camp this time around. And according to those who work closest with him, Metta hasn’t been this physically imposing since he was terrorizing the League as an Indiana Pacer. Per the LA Times: “He’s determined, he’s hungry and he’s in tremendous shape. He can run all day and at high speeds with tremendous quickness,’ Kobe Bryant said. ‘I haven’t seen him in this great a shape since Indiana.’ World Peace came to camp last season at 274 pounds and didn’t find his rhythm until late. Despite a month of hard partying in July — ‘I gotta have fun then because I don’t drink during the season,’ he said — he reported this season at 255. He said Thursday he had touched 249, his best weight since he was an All-Star and NBA defensive player of the year with the Pacers in 2004. He credited Tim DiFrancesco, the Lakers’ strength and conditioning coach, for guiding him toward taking better care of his body. As part of the three-step mind-body program World Peace devised to help himself and set an example for others, he led health walks in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles this summer. He has found a state of mind that can only be described as one of peace. […] His enhanced fitness allows him to be more active and effective on the court. ‘Right now I get to the basket any time I want. I don’t have to depend on somebody to give me a shot. I don’t have to depend on somebody else to create things for me,’ he said. ‘That’s a great feeling, to be back at that All-Star weight and I’m only 32. I’ve been around a while but I’m only 32, so I’ve still got a chance to do a lot of things.'”