Panda Friend is going to be Metta World Peace's new name

SICHUAN PROVINCE, China, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Earlier this week, the basketball player currently known as Metta World Peace announced that not only will be taking his talents to China, he will also be changing his name, again.

World Peace last played in the NBA with the New York Knicks, but was waived in February.

Although World Peace has had some decent years since changing his name, the best portion of the 34-year-old's career was when he was still going by Ron Artest.

Perhaps in an effort to get things going again, World Peace announced that he will once again be changing his name -- but not back to Artest. After signing with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association, World Peace alerted the Twitterverse that he will be taking a new Chinese name.

MWP made up his mind and he will soon be known as "'Panda Friend' in honor of his move to China," China Daily reported. "[He] now plans to name himself after China's giant panda, a precious animal based in Southwest China's Sichuan province, where his new team is also based."

Someone should have seen this one coming...