The artist formerly known as Ron Artest (and currently better known as “The Panda’s Friend”) just signed with an Italian team, and he’s 35 now. Metta World Peace says he’s matured, and he has a different mindset these days. He also says he’ll retire when he’s 40 and that he’s loving life playing around the world. Of course, Metta came up playing street ball in NYC, so he made sure to mention during his intro to his new squad, Pallacanestro Cantu, that he’s always had that street in him. Via ESPN:
“I had an up and down career,” the 35-year-old World Peace said Thursday. “I grew up playing basketball on the streets of New York City and it was very, very rough and I started playing in the NBA in the same way.
“Now the mentality is different from when I was younger. I always had the street mentality, but when you’re older, you get more mature.”
World Peace, who said he will retire when he turns 40, said his new attitude has improved his performance on the court.
“When you play angry you can’t focus,” he said. “I’ve got five more years to have a great time, so I will be playing with a lot of fire but not anger, just passion.”
