Lakers' forward Ron Artest filed paperwork in Los Angeles County Superior Court to legally change his name to "Metta World Peace."
"It's true, he did," said Heidi Buech, who was Artest's longtime publicist until resigning earlier this week, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Jill Rubin, an attorney representing Artest, 31, filed papers Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking to have the player's name legally changed, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
Metta is a Buddhist term with one popular definition summing it up as "a strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others."
An NBA league official said Artest would not need to file papers with officials to change the name on his jersey. The official said the decision would be left up to Artest and the Lakers.