Metta World Peace not closing door on playing in PH

Metta World Peace. Photo by Randolph B. Leongson/ INQUIRER.net

At 37 years of age, Metta World Peace is already at the twilight of his career.

But the 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year begs to differ and said that as far as he’s concerned, he’s still in tip-top shape.

“I’m still in pretty good shape and I’d really like to play basketball. I think I’m going to play until I’m about 45,” World Peace shared on Sunday in a media conference.

READ: Metta World Peace says Fil-Am son gets PH passport, hopes to play for Gilas

World Peace did not hesitate when asked if he’d be open on taking his talents to the Philippines, noting that the idea of being an import in the PBA had been broached before.

“I was planning to go to the Philippines two years ago. And I’m not gonna count it out,” he said. “I play basketball every day. It’s not hard to find an NBA team for me, it’s not hard to make a Filipino team or a European team. I can do that in my sleep,” he said.

Given a chance, what excites the former Lakers forward is the opportunity to strut his stuff in front of fans who have never seen him play live.

“I really want to play in front of fans that I have never played in front of. I’ve been in the NBA for just 18 seasons. I played in China for a season, and I wanted to play in China because I wanted to play in front of the Chinese fans and they were so supportive over the last couple of years. And then, I went to Italy and played in front of the Italian fans. It’s a great experience,” he said.

“So if I do come here to play one day, I’ll be fortunate and I want to win.”

However, World Peace said that everything is still up in the air right at this moment, with him still being undecided what to do next.

“As of right now, I’m not sure where I’m going to play this year. I might go on business this year and play next year. But I really enjoy my business and I really enjoy playing basketball,” he said.

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