What Does 'Metta' Mean? Details About Ron Artest's Name Change

Ron Artest, one of America's most eccentric athletes, has formally changed his name to Metta World Peace in Los Angeles on Friday.

The Lakers' small forward said the name change was made with the intention of being inspirational and was a creative marketing move.

The World Peace part makes sense, but what does metta mean?

The word metta actually has a broad meaning of goodwill and non-violence. The word is Pali, a language of the Indian subcontinent, and is derived from Buddhist scripture. World Peace has stated that he is not a Buddhist, and has not expressed an interest in converting to the religion.

At first I wanted it to be 'One Love,' said World Peace, but he decided against it because people suggested that it was corny.

World Peace said the motive to change his name came from NFL star Chad Ochocinco, who was given the name Chad Johnson at birth. Ochocinco is Spanish for eight five, which is the number the wide receiver wears.

A name change is far from the only eccentric thing World Peace has done. World Peace has been a reformed athlete after the dark moment of his career when he charged into the stands in a brawl with fans in Detroit. He had previously confessed to drinking Cognac in the locker room at halftime of games, and had numerous physical altercations in his career.

Many of the incidents involving World Peace, off the court, have been playfully odd. While under a multi-million-dollar contract with an NBA team, World Peace went into an electronics department store to apply for a job so he could receive discounts. He was cited for driving around Los Angeles in an Indy car that was not registered in his name. After the Lakers won an NBA title in 2010, World Peace didn't take off his jersey for several days.

The back of his Lakers' jersey will say World Peace above his No. 15.