Metta Sandiford-Artest

Why He Changes His Name, Jewish Community Support & More!

Former NBA Defensive Player of the Year and NBA champion Metta Sandiford-Artest (formerly known as both Ron Artest and Metta World Peace) joins Jonah to delve into the complexities of what it means to be misunderstood, as Metta has been for much of his life, and as the Jewish community has been for centuries. Together, they explore Metta’s incredible personal growth journey, his desire to spread happiness, and his mission to better understand different cultures. Jonah also sheds light on Metta’s strong support for the Jewish community after October 7th, his tumultuous childhood, and the meaning behind each of his public name changes. And of course, we celebrate many of Metta’s most iconic basketball moments: from being drafted to the NBA right out of the Queensbridge projects, to the infamous "Malice at the Palace" to championship sealing game winners, this conversation has all your favorite hoop highlights. Tune in for a heartfelt and hilarious conversation with the one and only Metta Sandiford-Artest.

• Mentioned in this Episode

  Origin of Jewish slur: https://forward.com/culture/465557/we-need-to-talk-about-kike-etymology-ethnic-slur-antisemitic/ 

  Metta’s Article in the New York Post: Peace Can Only Come By Freeing Gaza From Hamas: https://nypost.com/2023/10/30/opinion/peace-can-only-come-by-freeing-gaza-from-hamas/  

  Gulf War in Iraq/Middle East in the Early 1990s: https://www.britannica.com/event/Persian-Gulf-War

  Jews Talk Justice/Tel Aviv Institute: https://www.tlvi.org/jews-talk-justice/  

  Metta’s documentary - Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story: https://vimeo.com/465382214  

  2009 NBA Playoff Highlights: Ron Artest vs the Lakers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqGCDusQE-8 

  McDonald’s All American 1997: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zthmuLa6L3g  

  Long Island Lutheran Defeats LaSelle: https://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/22/sports/li-lutheran-defeats-lasalle.html 

  Metta tells the Circuit City story on Podcast P with Paul George: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIoz7wQUksk  

  Tahitian Treats: https://www.kdpproductfacts.com/product/a0e3h000003LKAfAAO/tahitian-treat-fruit-punch-flavored-soda-12-fl-oz-us  

  Allegro Pizza Eliminates Late Night Hours: https://www.thedp.com/article/2024/09/penn-allegro-pizza-reduces-hours  

  Malice At The Palace: https://www.si.com/nba/how-the-malice-at-the-palace-changed-the-nba-01jd2ygk0zz4

  Untold: Malice At The Palace - Documentary

  https://www.netflix.com/title/81026439

  Ron Artest wins Kennedy Citizenship Award

  https://www.espn.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6431861 

  Game 5 2010 WCF- Ron Artest Game Winner v Phoenix Suns: 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4seP2wD_K4

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  Host & Production Team - Host: Jonah Platt; Produced by Rainbow Creative (Executive Producer: Matthew Jones; Story Producer: Sean Leviashvili; Editor: Patrick Edwards); Social Media Manager: Yuval Yosha; Designer Noah Bell Research Associate: Samantha Greenwald, and Consulting Producers: Shield Communications (Ariella Noveck & Bethany Mandel).

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