Metta World Peace Interview: Haliburton, LeBron, Lakers & NBA Finals Pick

Former NBA Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star forward Metta World Peace sat down exclusively with Hard Rock Bet to discuss a wide range of basketball topics and more in a recent interview.

The New York native shared his thoughts on the Knicks’ future with Jalen Brunson leading the way, as well as his de facto fandom of the WNBA’s New York Liberty, driven by his growing admiration for women’s basketball and women’s sports as a whole. In addition to the Knicks, Metta touched on several key NBA storylines currently making headlines, in addition to the upcoming World Cup set to take place across North America this summer.

The Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton

We opened the conversation by discussing the current state of the Indiana Pacers — a franchise where Metta enjoyed much of his NBA success — with a focus on injured star Tyrese Haliburton, before shifting to the Los Angeles Lakers, another team he called home during his career.

The Pacers have understandably struggled without Tyrese Haliburton. What have you made of their season?

It’s tough anytime you have to deal with a long-term injury, especially an Achilles injury, because that’s a little bit different from an ACL or MCL. You know you’re going to be out for a year. As well as recovering from this injury, he’s had to deal with shingles too.

So, for the Pacers, it goes to show how valuable Haliburton is to them. It shows that he is an MVP-caliber player.

He has an unorthodox shot. It reminds me of Reggie Miller’s shot. I call it Reggie Miller 2.0.

But he is a great player. For the Pacers to go from the NBA Finals to the second-worst record in the league, it shows you how important he is and how good he is as a player.

Do you expect Haliburton to look like his old self next season after recovering from his Achilles injury?

Yes, he will be his old self. He’s had other injuries before, but this is his first major injury, so I think he will be fine.

Kevin Durant tore his Achilles. He came back from that and is still playing really well. Haliburton is also younger than Durant was when he suffered that injury.

People get hurt. They come back. Michael Jordan suffered a serious foot injury early in his career, and he did okay. Right now, Jayson Tatum is back playing well after having the same injury as Haliburton. There are a lot of examples.

Haliburton has had the entire season to recover, and he’ll have the offseason too. So, he’s had more than enough time. He’ll come back with the same speed, and his body will be well-rested.

The technology today is also great, and guys get more rest. When we played, even 18-year veterans were practicing hard, for the most part. But the recovery side of things and the science are a lot better today. It allows players to recover faster and better than we did.

I know sometimes people say the players of today are more athletic, but I disagree. I don’t think they’re much more athletic. I think it’s quite even, but the technology and science they have is far greater than what we had.

As well as getting Haliburton back healthy, what do the Pacers need to do in the offseason in order to get back to the NBA Finals?

Haliburton returning is going to be a massive help, obviously.

Outside of that, I don’t think they need much more because they have Coach Rick Carlisle.

Coach Carlisle is really good at getting the best out of what he has. In fact, he’s one of the best at this. You saw that during the team’s run to the NBA Finals last season. On paper, I don’t think they were a team that was capable of going as far as they did. But Carlisle got the best out of them, and he can spot holes in other teams.

Look at what he did against the Oklahoma City Thunder compared to how other teams have played against them. They pushed them all the way to Game 7.

You definitely need Haliburton back, though. You can’t go into a season without a player like him. Once he is back, you have him and Coach Carlisle. You’re going to be good.

LeBron James’ Longevity and What Luka Dončić’s Return Means for the Lakers

The conversation continued with Metta’s thoughts on LeBron James and how the 41-year-old continues to perform at a high level. He also shared insight on how much longer LeBron could sustain this level of play and what a healthy Luka Dončić would mean for the Lakers’ playoff outlook.

What are your thoughts on LeBron James still playing at such a high level at the age of 41?

I think LeBron’s face should be on the quarter or some other coin or note in currency. What he’s doing is historic. It’s impactful, motivating, and just so positive.

So, it doesn’t matter if it’s a quarter, a 50-cent coin, or something else, his face should be on it.

That’s how well he’s playing, and that’s how much he’s done for the game of basketball. That’s the kind of respect he deserves.

How much longer do you think LeBron will keep playing based on his current level?

He’s not slowing down at all. Right now, he’s coasting. The game is like an easy layup for him.

He can do it for another five years. In a few years, he might not be a top-10 or top-20 player, but he’d still be a hell of a role player because he’s still so strong, and he’s so smart.

So, if he wants to, he can absolutely play for another five years.

How much do the Lakers’ chances rely on the health of Luka Dončić? Can they win without a fully healthy Luka?

Sometimes styles make fights, right? Obviously, Luka is the guy, and he’ll still be the guy when he comes back, but right now, the Lakers are playing incredibly well. They have had a couple of close games recently, but overall, they’ve been great.

The good thing is that while Luka has been out, he’s had a chance to see that his team can really help him, and he doesn’t have to do it all when he is back.

When he is back and he continues to give effort and score the ball, they’ll be an even better team. You always need a Luka-type player who can make big shots in big moments, such as the fourth quarter of playoff games.

Without a fully healthy Luka, the Lakers can go pretty far. But with him, they can go to the promised land.

Key NBA Storylines: Trades, Rising Stars, and Championship Debates

The 17-year veteran, who played for six different teams during his career, shared his perspective on current NBA storylines, player development, and how teams are performing in today’s game.

How do you think the Kevin Durant trade played out for the Rockets? Was it worth losing players such as Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks?

I think it’s played out the same way for both the Rockets and the Phoenix Suns. It was quite an even trade.

It’s tough for the Rockets because Durant missed Game 1 with a knee injury, then injured his ankle in Game 2, causing him to miss more time. That hurt them a lot.

I’ve been injured in the playoffs, so I know how it feels. I was supposed to be out for six weeks with a meniscus tear, but I came back and played the San Antonio Spurs within two weeks. I wasn’t the same and couldn’t move.

It’s hard to gauge whether the Rockets got the better of the trade because, while Durant is great, he’s a little older now.

Meanwhile, the Suns got Jalen Green. Dillon Brooks is also showing he can play offense now and not just be a tough defender and enforcer. He is showing that he can score now.

They both had tough situations in the playoffs. Houston had to face the Lakers, and Durant was hurt. The Suns went up against OKC, which is far from easy.

A former teammate of yours, Matt Barnes, has said the New York Knicks can’t win a championship with Jalen Brunson as their best player. What are your thoughts on this?

That’s Matt’s point of view. I feel like Jalen Brunson is definitely a championship player.

As a coach, there are some things I would do with him if I were in his corner. But you can definitely win a championship with Brunson as your best player.

I can kind of see where Matt is coming from, because there are things on the other side of the ball that are hurting the team. He does need to improve defensively.

As a coach, though, I think he can be improved, and I like to think of how I could help him improve on that side of the ball. I’m also biased because he’s in New York, and I’m thinking, “What could I do to help a New Yorker win a title?”

I do understand where Matt’s coming from, though, because he’s talking about having the whole package as a superstar player. Being able to have a high volume of quality possessions with movement, team play, shooting, passing, while also being able to defend.

Matt is talking about guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s working hard, in shape, playing defense, but still scoring the ball. SGA also has all the intangibles, similar to Michael Jordan.

You were a teammate of Kobe Bryant, who had an 81-point performance prior to your arrival. Bam Adebayo recently surpassed this with an 83-point game. How impressive was that?

I was very happy for him. I was super impressed.

As I read more articles and heard a lot of the noise around it, it kind of diluted the emotion and excitement around it. It seemed like everyone was just talking about the free throws and the and-ones.

He had 31 points in the first quarter. That’s crazy. At that point, you have to go for it. Once you score 30 in one quarter, if you score another 30 soon after, you’re already at 60. The Washington Wizards could’ve done something about it, but they couldn’t stop him.

You can’t blame Bam for going for it. I would’ve done the same. Foul me all you want and give me the free throws if I have a chance to pass Kobe Bryant and be right behind Wilt Chamberlain. That’s an incredible achievement.

How impressed have you been with Jaylen Brown’s play and leadership for the Boston Celtics prior to Jayson Tatum’s return?

Jaylen Brown is a real player. He is a serious player. In the NBA, he is underrated and under-respected by a lot of fans and analysts.

He is the best player on that great Boston Celtics team. To this day, I don’t know how in the world he wasn’t an Olympian.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future is always in the spotlight, and there seems to be more talk of a potential trade in the summer. Do you think this is the year Giannis finally leaves Milwaukee?

I hope he doesn’t leave Milwaukee because it would be nice to see him finish his career with the Milwaukee Bucks.

I really hope Milwaukee can get an extension done.

Milwaukee might not be like New York City or Los Angeles in terms of market, but at the end of the day, he can create a legacy there. He could create a rare legacy that is even better than the legacy he has created up to this point.

He could go elsewhere and have a great career and life as well, but I think staying with one team and having success puts you in the upper echelon of the sport. He already has a title there. Imagine if he wins another title.

I imagine it’s hard to get other superstars to come play in Milwaukee, so who knows what he’s thinking. But I really hope he stays.

NBA Finals Prediction, Growth of Women’s Basketball, and World Cup Excitement

Metta shared his pick for the 2025-26 NBA Finals champion, praised the rapid growth of women’s basketball, and discussed his increasing interest in soccer ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

At this point in the season, who do you predict will lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in June, and why?

I’m going with the Lakers. They are in a rhythm right now, so I have to pick them.

People forget, we’ve barely seen Dalton Knecht play. This guy is on the bench. When he gets his opportunity, he’ll show his talent, and teams won’t be able to prepare for that. The Lakers are stacked. Knecht hasn’t gotten many minutes. Luka has been hurt. Austin Reaves has been hurt. But they’re playing well and in a rhythm.

They have the best shooters in the NBA. They might not be as good defensively as OKC is, but they move extremely well on offense.

You have experience coaching women’s basketball. What are your thoughts on the state of women’s basketball right now?

I coached Division II women’s basketball for seven years. We won the CCAA tournament for the first time in Cal State Los Angeles history, and Nevaeh Asiasi was the first player to win CCAA Player of the Year in the program’s history.

I love women’s basketball in general, and I like to watch the WNBA. The Indiana Fever and the Los Angeles Sparks are my favorite teams to watch. I’m from New York, so by default, I’m a New York Liberty fan too.

But the women’s game is getting better. I love women’s sports. It’s a different style of game because of the body type, but it’s still so exciting. You’re not going to find Michael Jordan in the WNBA because he is a male. You’re going to find Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. They play just as well as the men.

When Kobe Bryant came into the NBA, he reminded people of Jordan because everyone was still holding on to Jordan.

Right now, I think this is happening with Stephen Curry and Caitlin Clark. Clark really reminds me of Curry in terms of her skill set. She may even be a better passer. That’s not to take anything away from Curry. He is also incredible.

I’m excited about these million-dollar checks which have been signed in the WNBA this offseason. That’s so exciting, and it’s long overdue. It would’ve been a tough pill to swallow if they continued to have zero million-dollar players, because they draw fans and they drive engagement. They’re that good.

The NBA and WNBA are one and the same. Both are super exciting.

You were part of the Hard Rock Bet Party alongside soccer legend Ronaldinho, who has won the World Cup. Are you excited about this year’s World Cup, which takes place in the US, Canada, and Mexico?

I am excited about the US Men’s National Team because we finally have good players. We have good players and teams in MLS as well, so it’s an exciting time for American soccer.

I want my son to play soccer.

It used to be really hard for Americans to understand soccer because of the point system and rules. It took a long time, but now I can watch a game and be into it. I’m gradually becoming a fan. Maybe in a couple of years, I’ll be able to become more of a fan because it’s an incredible sport.

I probably will watch the World Cup in the summer, but I’ve also just had my third grandchild. So, I’ll go from watching the games to watching over three grandchildren. It’s sometimes hard for me to get into a rhythm when it comes to watching sports.