Metta World Peace throws his hat in the ring for the Knicks coaching job (kind of).
Former New York Knicks forward Metta World Peace posted on Twitter that he is ready to fulfill his dream of coaching his hometown team.
Quoting a tweet from the Daily Knicks social media account which referenced all of the coaches who have come to New York and failed over the past two decades, World Peace said, “I’m so ready if ever an opportunity.”
This is not the first time World Peace has expressed an interest in coaching the Knicks. In a since deleted tweet from 2019, he said:
"“If the [Knicks coaching job] is available, I definitely want to head coach there. I will absolutely bring that street mentality to the garden…This would be epic for all people like me. Straight from the jungles to win a title in NYC.”"
The New York native has made his case several times to be considered along the sideline at the Garden. He does have coaching experience, both in amateur settings, and with the Lakers G-League team as a player development coach.
The former NBA star briefly played for the Knicks in 2013-14, after several seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won an NBA championship.
A St. John’s product from the Queensbridge Housing Projects that have become famous due to the success of hip hop artists such as Nas, Mobb Deep, and Cormega, along with hoops stars, such as Ron Artest, as he was known before changing his name.
The Knicks could have drafted Metta World Peace.
World Peace played college basketball at St. John’s University, leading them to the Elite Eight in 1999. He was drafted with the 16th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls.
Many Knicks fans were upset when the team decided to select French center Frederic Weis with the pick they had ahead of Chicago. Weis never played a game for New York, so those first-guessers have been proven overwhelmingly correct.
On Thursday, the NBA plans to ratify a plan to continue the 2019-20 season with 22 teams, excluding the Knicks. As their season comes to a premature end, New York will focus on hiring a new coach, with Tom Thibodeau the overwhelming favorite.
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World Peace is not the first former player to suggest he could coach the Knicks on Twitter this week. Baron Davis also put his hand up in response to a tweet that asked the Knicks to consider more black head coaches in their coaching search.