From "Metta World Peace" to "The Pandas Friend"

The American basketball player not only joins a new team in a new country, but has a new name to show for it.

Image credits: usatoday.com

We’ve heard of people born with strange names (e.g. Batman bin Suparman and Jesus Condom), but American basketball player Metta World Peace, formerly Ronald William Artest Jr, takes the cake as the strangest of them all as he changes his name once again.

Back in September 2011, Artest officially became World Peace, saying that “changing my name was meant to inspire and bring youth together all around the world”. With his latest move from the New York Knicks to China’s Sichuan Blue Whales, where he’ll be the league’s highest paid player, World Peace has yet again decided to make a name change, this time to “The Pandas Friend”.

You didn’t hear wrongly. The. Pandas. Friend. The controversial dribbler has created quite a name for himself as he now becomes one with China’s iconic yet endangered species that’s known for its black and white fur and shoot-eating habits. Already the love has started streaming in:

Love him or hate him, we hope this name change brings more good to the actual panda species, which, in recent years has seen a steady recovery in population numbers.