The Los Angeles City Council celebrated the first annual “Metta World Peace Day” on Friday. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez declared May 15 as a new holiday across LA.
Metta World Peace is a former Los Angeles Lakers forward, who played alongside Kobe Bryant and helped LA win the 2010 NBA championship. During Game 7 against the Boston Celtics, World Peace scored 20 points and scored a clutch 3-pointer in the final minutes of the game.
Before joining the Lakers, World Peace (formerly known as Ron Artest) served an 86-game suspension for his involvement in the “Malice at the Palace” brawl in 2004.
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While playing for the Indiana Pacers, World Peace committed a hard foul on Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace in the final seconds of a game. That hard foul sparked a brawl that would ultimately involve multiple fans in attendance. One fan threw a beer at World Peace, which led to him and other players entering the stands.
The brawl tainted his reputation for many seasons afterwards. But after winning the 2010 NBA championship with the Lakers, he thanked his psychiatrist and encouraged people to seek help for their mental health.
“Mental health affects all of us. But too often, people don’t talk about it,” World Peace said in the postgame interview. “I want to send a clear message that it’s OK to go to therapy, to ask for help and to take care of yourself.”
Soto-Martinez explained how World Peace’s contributions to breaking stigma around mental health are the reason May 15 is now “Metta World Peace Day”.
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“As someone who goes to therapy myself, I know how critical it is to care for your mental health,” Soto-Martinez said, per the California Post. “Having a role model like Metta speaking openly about his journey helps break that stigma and encourages people to seek help.”
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The post LA Honors Former Laker With His Own ‘Metta World Peace Day’ appeared first on LA Sports Report.
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