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No Malice: My Life in Basketball or: How a Kid from Queensbridge Survived the Streets, the Brawls, and Himself to Become an NBA Champion
Metta World Peace knows what it means to be both the hero and the villain. In his 17-season professional basketball career, he's darted back and forth between extremes, taking on the roles of youthful phenom, league-wide disgrace, All-Star, unlikely international ambassador, and fan favorite. Along the way, there have been awards, teammate rifts, an NBA championship trophy, plus a name change or two. It's more than the guy born Ronald William Artest, Jr. might have imagined for himself as a kid growing up in Queens. In No Malice , World Peace speaks candidly about his life on and off the court, from his difficult upbringing, to his time as a star athlete and budding math major at St. Johns; from the infamous "Malice at the Palace" brawl in Detroit, where he earned one of the lengthiest suspensions the NBA has ever handed down, to his sunnier days as a Los Angeles Laker. World Peace also opens up on such diverse subjects as his forays into business and entertainment, the truth behind his volatile, unbelievable antics which have puzzled fans and team management alike, as well as his outspoken advocacy for mental health awareness. No topic is off the table, making this a must-read for hoops fans in Indianapolis, LA, Chicago, China, and any place in between.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 2, 2019
Excellent basketball memoir
Usually a sports memoir will follow the same pattern. An ex-athlete will talk about his childhood, his career while playing his chosen game and his life after retiring. While some of this is true for Metta World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest), his story takes on extra meaning because of his willingness to talk about his mental health issues so candidly.
He does verify some of his more off beat moments, such as working at Circuit City while still a player. He does speak frankly about the infamous brawl in Detroit during the 2004 season that cost him nearly five million dollars in salary and many years of bad memories. But it's clear to a reader that he has turned things around and, appropriately enough, seems to be at peace with himself.
Any basketball fan who knows about Artest/ World Peace should pick up this book. A great and fast read, one will be happy with the eventual outcome of a man who finally is at peace with himself.
Usually a sports memoir will follow the same pattern. An ex-athlete will talk about his childhood, his career while playing his chosen game and his life after retiring. While some of this is true for Metta World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest), his story takes on extra meaning because of his willingness to talk about his mental health issues so candidly.
He does verify some of his more off beat moments, such as working at Circuit City while still a player. He does speak frankly about the infamous brawl in Detroit during the 2004 season that cost him nearly five million dollars in salary and many years of bad memories. But it's clear to a reader that he has turned things around and, appropriately enough, seems to be at peace with himself.
Any basketball fan who knows about Artest/ World Peace should pick up this book. A great and fast read, one will be happy with the eventual outcome of a man who finally is at peace with himself.
August 18, 2021
I'm glad I came upon this book. The sports world is coming to grips with the whole mental health issue. Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka and Michael Phelps, among others have spoken candidly about their mental health issues, which is a brave new world for ultra-competitive athletes where being their best was supposed to come at all costs.
One of the first to bring this out in the open was Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) who overcame a trainwreck of a basketball career, battled his inner demons and helped the Lakers win a World Championship in 2010.
Artest was a crazy talented basketball player who overcame a rough and dysfunctional upbringing to become a basketball star in the NBA, only to almost derail it by excessive anger issues that led to flagrant fouls, suspensions and other drama best known by the "Malice in the Palace" where Artest and other teammates got in a brawl with fans in Detroit, nearly turning into a riot. This got him suspended for a year and nearly got him blackballed from the NBA.
Artest grew up the Queensbridge part of Queens in a dysfunctional environment of drug dealers and gangs, with basketball as his only release. The anger issues he grew up with he never dealt with. Sometimes he'd use it to his advantage, becoming a relentless competitor, but also to a disadvantage, letting it overcome him. He openly admits his mistakes and his inability to control his anger and details his personal growth of developing coping mechanisms and other excesises to derail his anger. He nearly ruined his career after the Detroit incident, and then spent the next few years bouncing around the NBA with the Kings, Rockets and then Lakers.
He gives credit to his mentors. Yes, he does mention NBA greats like Phil Jackson, Rick Adelman and Kobe Bryant for helping him maintain his focus, but he seems to have a bigger thank you to Dr. Santhi Periasamy, who began as his court-ordered therapist after the Detroit incident, but who he kept on throughout his career as teaching him to deal with his his issues.
After and near the end of his NBA career, he donated his championship ring for inner-city mental health services, and has done much speaking on the subject also.
I would've liked to see him detail his adult personal life a little more. He does not avoid it, but uses it more as a sidelight than a main point. His issues and his healing processes certainly had a huge effect on that. It was otherwise a very entertaining and uplifting read on one of the more intersting personalities in the NBA.
One of the first to bring this out in the open was Metta World Peace (Ron Artest) who overcame a trainwreck of a basketball career, battled his inner demons and helped the Lakers win a World Championship in 2010.
Artest was a crazy talented basketball player who overcame a rough and dysfunctional upbringing to become a basketball star in the NBA, only to almost derail it by excessive anger issues that led to flagrant fouls, suspensions and other drama best known by the "Malice in the Palace" where Artest and other teammates got in a brawl with fans in Detroit, nearly turning into a riot. This got him suspended for a year and nearly got him blackballed from the NBA.
Artest grew up the Queensbridge part of Queens in a dysfunctional environment of drug dealers and gangs, with basketball as his only release. The anger issues he grew up with he never dealt with. Sometimes he'd use it to his advantage, becoming a relentless competitor, but also to a disadvantage, letting it overcome him. He openly admits his mistakes and his inability to control his anger and details his personal growth of developing coping mechanisms and other excesises to derail his anger. He nearly ruined his career after the Detroit incident, and then spent the next few years bouncing around the NBA with the Kings, Rockets and then Lakers.
He gives credit to his mentors. Yes, he does mention NBA greats like Phil Jackson, Rick Adelman and Kobe Bryant for helping him maintain his focus, but he seems to have a bigger thank you to Dr. Santhi Periasamy, who began as his court-ordered therapist after the Detroit incident, but who he kept on throughout his career as teaching him to deal with his his issues.
After and near the end of his NBA career, he donated his championship ring for inner-city mental health services, and has done much speaking on the subject also.
I would've liked to see him detail his adult personal life a little more. He does not avoid it, but uses it more as a sidelight than a main point. His issues and his healing processes certainly had a huge effect on that. It was otherwise a very entertaining and uplifting read on one of the more intersting personalities in the NBA.
December 24, 2023
Though the writing and descriptions seemed kinda weird, it's an NBA player so to assume it would be perfect would be stupid, especially since it's Ron Artest (those who know would know how crazy his career is and how it can't really be expressed in words). However, I really enjoyed this book. Seeing the perspective and POV of an NBA player was truly a great read. I loved learning more about greats like Tracy McGrady, Reggie Miller, Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming, and many more. Ron Artest has great anecdotes to share in this book, and overall I really loved reading because I am a large fan of the NBA. What made it a 5/5 for me was because he said LeBron James was one of the hardest players to guard, and LeBron is my favorite player. In all seriousness, if you're a big NBA fan and like reading books, this is the book for you.
May 22, 2021
I am almost done with this book. This is a must read for any NBA fan. It talks about Ron Artest/MWP's childhood through the end of his career and how his childhood affected his adulthood and what he has learned about life. It talks about him as a person and for the first time made me see his perspective of Malice at the Palace. I learned a lot more about him, Malice at the Palace, the place he grew up and more. Definitely recomend.
April 13, 2020
Basketball nostalgia as told by an unreliable narrator who does bad things but means well.
February 21, 2021
Learned A Lot
I didn’t know much about Metta World Peace besides the obvious but I learned that is a lot more than the fiery personality we see on the court. Would recommend.
I didn’t know much about Metta World Peace besides the obvious but I learned that is a lot more than the fiery personality we see on the court. Would recommend.
August 23, 2021
After reading this book, I better understand why he was the way he was. Metta World Peace evolved and for the better. I appreciate him taking responsibility for his actions.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews