Metta Sandiford-Artest (born Ronald William Artest Jr., November 13, 1979), formerly known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace, is an American former professional basketball player who played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is considered one of the most feared perimeter “lockdown” defenders in NBA history. He played college basketball for the St. John's Red Storm. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft. In 2001, he signed with the Indiana Pacers, where he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and was also named an NBA All-Star in 2004. Later that year, he was involved in a fight between the Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, and was suspended for the remainder of the 2004–05 season, the longest suspension for on-court misconduct in NBA history. Weeks after the start of the 2005–06 season, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings, and spent the 2008–09 season with the Houston Rockets. In 2009, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, and helped the team win the NBA championship in 2010. In 2013, he signed with the New York Knicks. After a year of hiatus from the NBA, he returned to the Lakers in 2015 before retiring in 2017.