There was a time when Metta World Peace was considered arguably the best defender in the NBA. Back in 2003-04, World Peace – who then went by the name Ron Artest – won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year Award with the Indiana Pacers.
It’s more than a decade later, and now, World Peace decided that the trophy has a ton of value. Not to himself, but to Family Defense, namely to help raise money that looks to help young men become better husbands and fathers, according to ESPN.
World Peace said after practice Sunday that the goal is to raise $2 million to help young men become better partners and fathers. He initially said the trophy would be raffled off, but his publicist said Monday the giveaway will be a “sweepstakes” format and launch on World Peace’s birthday, Nov. 13.
“A lot of kids learn … how to calls girls ‘b’s’ and ‘h’s,'” World Peace said. “What about learning how to be a good father and be a good partner?”
World Peace also reportedly plans on auctioning off his 2010 NBA Championship ring, which he won during his first stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. This isn’t the first time World Peace has raised money for charity, as he’s given to mental health charities in the past. In his eyes, “family defense” is close to mental health.
“It’s different, but it’s all in the same genre, because a lot of families that are dysfunctional, it can cause mental health issues and mental health problems,” World Peace said. “I think teaching the importance of being a good family man and being a good partner, I think that will help a lot of issues with mental health because most of that is born from the family household.”
Give World Peace a ton of credit: he’s using his platform as one of the NBA’s elder statesmen to raise money for an important issue.
(via ESPN)
