Metta World Peace enjoyed a six-year tenure overall with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing a key part in their 2010 title season. But, it nearly didn’t happen.
Speaking recently to good friend and former Laker Lamar Odom on his podcast “The Lade Show”, World Peace said he actually asked LA for a trade early in the 2009-10 campaign because of his struggles adapting to a brand new role.
Quotes courtesy of Silver Screen and Roll:
“The easy thing was Lamar was there. I asked for a trade. I remember I asked for a trade early in the season because I just couldn’t mentally deal with it. But then I spoke to Dr. Buss. He’s an incredible human. RIP Dr. Buss. He was like ‘You came here to win’ and I’m like ‘That’s true.’ I wanted to just master my position. It took me a while to get used to that. I wanted to do the best I can in my role. I remember in the Finals, I was ready. One game, I only got two shots. I remember being in Boston, I got two shots. It was cool. At that point, I was finally ok with it. But it took me a long time,” Metta World Peace said.
Metta World Peace was a guy who averaged 15+ PPG before coming to the Lakers. But, the ball wasn’t in his hands as much with Los Angeles, which clearly bothered him. Regardless, he ultimately settled in and played his role. That season when the Purple and Gold beat the Boston Celtics in the Finals, he averaged 11 points, 4.3 rebounds, and three assists per game.
While there was no shortage of drama during his time with the Lakers, World Peace still helped them win a ring. That’s what matters in the end.
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