More than Metta World Peace's son: Jeron Artest making a name at Hillcrest Prep
Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic Richard Obert
Ron Artest's son Jeron is playing high school basketball in Phoenix, but Jeron Artest could just as easily gain off-court fame, Metta World Peace says
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The Republic | azcentral.com
Jeron Artest has a picture of his father's NBA championship ring on his Facebook page.

He knows if it wasn't for Metta World Peace providing him the chance to develop his game and travel, he wouldn't be at Phoenix Hillcrest Prep, where the 6-foot-3 sophomore guard is winding down a season in which he is averaging 12 points, five rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 steals.

Artest's name is famous - whether his dad is remembered as Metta World Peace, who hit a 3-pointer to help the Lakers win an NBA title in 2010, or as Artest the menace who went into the stands in Detroit while playing for the Pacers.

But Jeron Artest is his own person.

When he was 12, he developed his own mobile game app called Jeronimo. In his LinkedIn profile, Artest says he is "interested in integrating centralized concepts with the power of decentralized blockchains."

World Peace calls his son a CEO, who is invested into four businesses. But at the end of the day, he calls him, "a hell of a basketball player."

"He can do anything he wants," World Peace said of his son. "He's a very active investor, a straight-A student. He could go to MIT, Yale, Harvard. He can go to any school he wants. He can play basketball at any school in the country."

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Artest, ASU-commit Kyree Walker continue Hillcrest's rise

At Hillcrest, where he reclassified down a grade (2020) to fit into his age group (he was always an accelerated student), Artest has teamed up with Arizona State-commit Kyree Walker, who also moved from California over the summer.

Hillcrest (26-2) plays in the Grind Session national championship, Friday through March 12, in Owensboro, Ky. Last year, Hillcrest won the championship, behind 7-foot-1 center Deandre Ayton, who was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year this season at the University of Arizona.

Ron Artest III, Metta's older son, is playing for Hillcrest's post-grad team. The shadow of their famous father is never far away from the court.

"Now everyone calls him Metta unless they're talking about his past, then they say, 'Oh, remember the old Artest?' '' Jeron said of his dad. "I think I'd be my own person on my own, without any help."

The younger Artest has visions of playing in the NBA eventually. He has an offer from Wyoming. Air Force, Colorado, St. Louis and Stanford have shown interest in him. His GPA is 4.3 and he scored 1450 on his college-entrance SAT.

He moved in July from Southern California, where he attended Beverly Hills High, to Hillcrest, he said, "to have more time for basketball."

"It was all my decision," Artest said.

'Whether he makes the NBA, I don't give two (bleeps)'

World Peace, who legally changed his name in 2011, helped out as a coach at Hillcrest early in the season, before he was brought onto the Lakers' G League team as player development coach.

Alex Sostre moved out from Southern California to be Artest's guardian in Phoenix. Sostre said that after the initial shock of the heat, Artest has acclimated well to the area. The team uses Precision High in south Phoenix to do school work and practice basketball.

"Good kid," Sostre said. "He is super smart. I don't know how he does it."

Artest, whose mom is from the Philippines, is also hoping to play for the Philippines national team.

But for now he is happy in Phoenix.

"I like Arizona," Artest said. "Honestly, I think (the traditional school) was a good experience. But I basically finished high school after when I reclassified.

"He just tells me to keep a level head, work smart, because if I work too hard, you'll burn yourself out. So you have to be smart about it."

World Peace is happy with the path his son has paved for himself in life.

"I like the heart," World Peace said of his son. "I don't care about the business side and the basketball side. I care about the person. Whether he makes it to the NBA or not, I don't give two (bleeps).

"He's a great person. When he was 12 years old, he started a book club for 8-year-olds, because he wanted to teach kids how to read. He is a special kid."

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To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him at twitter.com/azc_obert.