METTA WORLD PEACE VISITS HIGH SCHOOL ALMA MATER
La Salle’s Varsity Cardinals receive lessons in life and basketball from former NBA star
East Village, N.Y., January 19, 2018 – Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, visited his high school alma mater, La Salle Academy, in New York City this past Friday. He joined La Salle’s championship varsity basketball team for a pre-game photo-op and halftime pep talk.
With the Cardinals up by four points over rival Sacred Heart at halftime, World Peace was impressed by the La Salle boys’ drive on the court and even complimented junior point-guard Josiah Chandler. In the locker room, World Peace and the team discussed the state of the game and he told them to keep working hard and playing hard.
He also stressed the importance of becoming a well-rounded young man because the NBA may not be in the cards for everyone. He used his good friend and fellow La Salle alum as an example, sharing, “…he was on the freshman team and stopped playing to focus on academics. He got a scholarship to Temple [University] and now is doing big things.” Before the start of the second half, he left the team with this: “Focus on the game, but make sure you focus on your career, too. Put everything in the game but think about everything you want to do…”
Ron Artest graduated from La Salle Academy in 1997 and went on to play college basketball at St. John’s University until he was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 1999. World Peace is best known as one of the NBA’s premier defenders. In 2004, he won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award and was named an NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors. He also helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the NBA Championship in 2010.
For more information about La Salle Academy, please contact Ismini Scouras at 212-475-8940 ext. 204, email [email protected] or visit www.lasalleacademy.org.
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