NBA champion and all-star, mental health advocate and entrepreneur — on stigma, redemption and reinvention
Long before Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and others brought the mental health struggles of professional athletes into public view, basketball superstar Ron Artest — now known as Metta World Peace — publicly thanked his therapist after making the shot that sealed the 2010 NBA Championship for the Los Angeles Lakers. That moment, remarkable for its candour in a culture that rarely allowed it, continues to resonate with people around the world. In turning to therapy, Metta overcame a long personal and family history of anxiety and depression, and became instrumental in reducing the stigma associated with mental health — earning the NBA's citizenship award and the designation "Mental Health Hero."
Infamously associated with the "Malice in the Palace" incident between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, Metta went on to find redemption, committing himself to helping others and reinventing his legacy. He is now an entrepreneur, the Chief Impact Director of OOTify — a social impact technology platform providing mental health infrastructure to enterprises — and the founder and chairman of Artest Management Group, currently raising a $1 billion venture fund. His journey is the subject of the award-winning and Emmy-nominated Showtime Sports documentary Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story.
Metta speaks from experience that few can match — an athlete who went from the streets of Queensbridge to an NBA championship, and from silence about mental health to becoming a visible advocate for it. For audiences on wellbeing, inclusion, leadership, or the power of reinvention, he brings a story that is both extraordinary and genuinely instructive.
Metta World Peace is a keynote speaker based overseas who speaks on diversity & inclusion, leadership and mental health & wellbeing. Book through Executive Speakers Australia.
Knowing you need to take care of your mental health is a sign of strength these days, however, this was not always the case. Especially in sports, athletes were often afraid to seek help to deal with the pressures of the game and life in general. Perhaps, fearing it would make them look weak, athletes often suffer in silence or if pressures become too much to bear, act out. Metta is one of the first professional athletes to publicly speak out on the topic of mental health and has helped raise awareness and remove the stigmas often associated with mental health issues. Through his persistent advocacy, Metta has been a key player in destigmatizing mental health issues. He speaks from experience and is a living example of how getting support has helped improve his life and game. In this riveting talk by the former NBA champion, you will learn that to be on top of your own game, mental health and wellness must be prioritized. Audiences will walk away recognizing the importance of seeking help, learning how to find support when they are in need and how to support others that may be struggling.
It takes more than just desire to become a champion. You need hustle, tenacity, and reinvention to achieve big goals. When Metta Sandiford-Artest was growing up in Queensbridge, he had to overcome many obstacles to reach his goals—from surviving the streets of queens bridge New York in poverty, becoming a parent at 16 years old, to handling his own mental health issues, all odds were stacked against him. Over the course of his career he went from league-wide disgrace to fan favorite. In this exciting talk by the former NBA champion, Metta will take you from the streets of Queens to his NBA championship with the L.A. Lakers. Audiences will learn that regardless of the circumstances you come from, with hard work and perseverance, anything can be possible. You need to find your desire, seek good mentors, work harder than everyone else, learn from your mistakes, and never give up.
Over his career, Metta Sandiford-Artest has been an NBA champion, actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and a spokesperson for mental health issues. In this fireside chat, you can enjoy the authentic experience of hearing behind-the-scenes’s stories of Metta’s career from NBA bad boy to being honored with the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. Audiences will come away with a deeper understanding of what it takes to be a champion, how to take care of their own mental health, and get business tips from Metta’s life as a venture capitalist.
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