The games' most eccentric player left a vague message on Twitter, leaving his Los Angeles Lakers fans in suspense. Forward Metta World Peace didn't bother to elaborate, dropping a bomb bigger than the elbow he sent crashing into James Harden jaw last year. What exactly did World Peace say? Here's the tweet itself.
That seems pretty clear right? It's a goodbye. Where is he going? Reporters, like the Lakers beat writer Dave McMenamin, simply retweeted the post and didn't elaborate either. It seems like World Peace kept this secret within a very tight-knit group because nobody has spilled the beans on the 33-year-old's plans for the 2014 season.
World Peace is a traveler, having played for five different NBA organizations. He specifically thanks L.A. fans, which can only mean he's headed to another city. Had he been retiring, chances are he would thank all the fans in general, even those in Detroit and he'd probably give a special shoutout to former commissioner, David Stern.
So what did we learn from World Peace in L.A.?
A name change can only make a difference on the back of a jersey and for announcers. It took plenty of announcers across the league sometime to become accustomed to the new name The irony in the name "Peace" was almost too much to bare. World Peace always wore his heart on his sleeve, or on his biceps, but at least World Peace didn't jump in the stands and attack fans while in his stint with the Lakers. His worst episode in a Laker jersey came against the Oklahoma City Thunder when he elbowed Harden. There were plenty of technicals to and hard fouls handed out by World Peace, but some of the penalties he faced were based on his reputation.
World Peace will be remembered as a physical player who was a defensive guru until the latter stage of his career. He appeared to peak at the right time in Los Angeles, playing a huge role in getting the Lakers back-to-back championships in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.
Once again, World Peace's plans are not yet clear, but it reads as though the 14-year player will no longer don the purple and gold.
