NBA legend Metta World Peace and his wife, Maya Sandiford, are making headlines after welcoming their son, Hiro Hirata Sandiford-Artest.
Metta Sandiford-Artest, a former NBA player, was born on November 13, 1979. He played 19 seasons in the NBA.
Before beginning his NBA career, he played university basketball for the St. John’s Red Storm as Ron Artest.
Chicago Bulls drafted Artest in the first round of the 1999 NBA draft. He joined the Indiana Pacers in 2001, became an NBA All-Star in 2004, and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Ronald William Artest Jr. legally changed his name to Metta World Peace and played for the Lakers until 2013, after which he signed with the New York Knicks.
He retired from the NBA in 2017 after 17 seasons.
Before Marrying His Now Wife, Maya, Metta World Peace Was Married To Kimsha Hatfield!
Maya Sandiford is the wife of former NBA star Metta World Peace. While the pair has kept many aspects of their marriage discrete, their unwavering love and loyalty to one other is evident.
Similarly, details about their initial meeting and dating life also remain ambiguous.
Metta World Peace tied the knot with Maya Sandiford on August 2, 2018. On May 4, 2020, World Peace revealed that he had changed his name again to Metta Sandiford-Artest, uniting his surname with that of his second wife, Maya Sandiford.
Hence, this action shows the NBA star’s commitment to his wife. Before marrying Maya, World Peace was married to TV personality Kimsha Hatfield.
While he has recently announced his welcoming a child with Maya, he has children, Sadie, Ron III, and Diamond, with his ex-wife, Kimsha.
His son, Ron III, also followed in his father’s footsteps and pursued basketball.
When they were 15 and 14, World Peace and his ex-wife, Kimsha Hatfield, began an on-and-off relationship. The couple married in June 2003 but divorced in 2009.
Kimsha appeared on VH1’s reality television show Basketball Wives: Los Angeles. Close sources claim that domestic violence brought on by mistrust in their relationship led to Kimsha and Metta’s divorce.
While playing for the Chicago Bulls, Metta allegedly accused Kimsha of cheating in a lawsuit.
Furthermore, he has another son, Jeron, with his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Palma. Jeron is a high school basketball player.
With the birth of his oldest daughter, Sadie’s first child, Metta became a grandfather. Despite not having an ideal marital or romantic life, he has a close bond with his children.
Maya Sandiford Comes From A Diverse Ethnic Background
Despite World Peace’s tumultuous past relationship, he has built a beautiful world with his wife, Maya, interlaced with mutual love, respect, and devotion.
The couple are expecting a boy after being together for 12 years. Since they married in 2018, this means they dated 6 years prior.
Furthermore, World Peace and his wife, Maya, chose IVF when their OB informed them that Maya was not ovulating.
“We have been together for 12 years now, so it’s been in the making for quite some time. But to be honest, I was told by my OB that I may not be ovulating.”
“We expected it would take some time and may need to look into IVF, so it was definitely a surprise to find out we were pregnant just a few months later. We consider ourselves very lucky!”
Metta World Peace And His Wife, Maya
However, unbeknownst to them, they miraculously conceived without the need for medical intervention.
Throughout the pregnancy, the NBA star has been attentive and took very good care of Maya.
“From cooking and bringing me food in bed, to holding my hair back when I was sick to putting up with pregnancy rage.The pregnancy rage is something else!”
Maya Sandiford
“Honestly, she’s the pregnant one so I just help out when I can — in the cravings department, massages and stuff like that. But she’s handled it like a boss.”
Metta World Peace
Maya frequently shares glimpses of her journey towards motherhood on her social media. Furthermore, the couple shared their experience in a June 2024 interview with PEOPLE.
“The first trimester was an absolute nightmare. I was sick every day. I feel like women don’t talk enough about how brutal the first trimester can be, maybe in fear of appearing ungrateful. But I’m here to say that all women, the first tri can be absolute s— and I think it’s okay to say that and talk about it…”
Maya Sandiford
After much anticipation, the couple welcomed their son, Hiro Hirata Sandiford-Artest, on August 29, 2024. Hiro Hirata is Metta’s fifth child.
Besides being a loving wife and soon-to-be mother, Maya has succeeded in her career.
Maya Sandiford was born to Hirata Fuminori, a Japanese father, and Michelle Sandiford, a half-white, half-black mother. She also has a brother, Shay Sandiford.
Her LinkedIn profile indicates that she is a Marketing Manager.
She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) and started her career as a Law Clerk at the Law Office of John F. Schutty, PC.
After completing her internship at Khorrami Boucher, LLP, she worked as a Public Relations Assistant at Artest Management Group.
Similarly, after working for Artest Management Group and Teach for the Future, Maya spent 7 years as a Marketing Manager at International Fashions: Kersh and Press.
Moreover, she also did volunteering. Since both Metta World Peace and his wife, Maya, are successful in their careers, they are a perfect match.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Metta World Peace was a player development coach from 2017 to 2018 for the South Bay Lakers.
- In December 2010, he contributed some or all of his NBA salary for the 2011-12 season to mental health awareness organizations.
- He has appeared in PETA advertising campaigns urging people to have their dogs neutered and to report animal mistreatment.
- Artest released his rap album, My World, on October 31, 2006. P. Diddy, Juvenile, Mike Jones, Big Kap, Nature, and Capone appear as guest performers on the album.
