Traffic Tickets Delay Ron Artest Name Change

Los Angeles - Today's scheduled hearing on Ron Artest's bid to change his name to Metta World Peace was delayed until Sept. 16 so he can clear up issues regarding outstanding traffic ticket warrants.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Matthew St. George set the new date on the Laker forward's request to make the name switch, which he says is being done to promote world peace and bring attention to mental health issues.

Artest, 31, has appeared in public service announcements for various mental health organizations and raised $650,000 to support mental health programs by raffling off his 2010 NBA championship ring.

Artest's advocacy earned him the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award presented by the Professional Basketball Writers Association for the 2010-11 season, marking a dramatic turnaround from his receiving the NBA's longest suspension for an on-court incident for his involvement in a 2004 fight that spilled into the stands at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

Metta is a Buddhist word meaning loving kindness, according to John Black, the Los Angeles Lakers vice president of public relations.

In a similar case, Lloyd Free, a guard who played for the San Diego Clippers and several other teams during a career spanning from 1975-1988, legally changed his name in December 1981 to World B. Free. One of his nicknames as a player was "All World."

Artest was not present for today's court session.