In 1999, Ron Artest entered the NBA Draft as a high-profile player from St. John’s, which is not far from where the New York Knicks play. Plus, from Queensbridge, NY, he seemed like a match made in heaven to play at Madison Square Garden.
However, the Knicks passed on Artest, who went 16th overall, for Frederic Weis at No. 15. Weis never played, while Artest — later legally changing his name to Metta World Peace — jumped between six NBA teams from 1999-2017.
Peace looked back on why the Knicks passed on him, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, and attributed it to no-showing a workout from a night of drinking in Westchester:
“Honestly, I caused that,” World Peace said.