Former NBA champion and All-Star shows interest in Kansas State opening

Former NBA champion and All-Star shows interest in Kansas State opening originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . An unexpected name has entered the coaching search for the Kansas State Wildcats.

Former NBA champion and All-Star Metta World Peace, better known to many fans as Ron Artest, publicly expressed interest in the vacancy following the firing of Jerome Tang . World Peace took to social media to make his pitch directly. “Kansas State Head Coach Job is one I think is very interesting for me,” he wrote on X .

“I’m so excited about the progress I’ve made in developing into a no brainer head coach.” Kansas State is searching for answers after a disappointing 10-15 season that included a 1-11 start in Big 12 play and seven consecutive losses when Tang was sent packing.  World Peace’s candidacy would be unconventional but not without a bit of relevance.

He was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010, playing a pivotal role alongside Kobe Bryant in Game 7 of the Finals. A former All-Star and multiple-time All-Defensive selection, he built a reputation as one of the league’s most disruptive perimeter defenders.

His playing career was also defined by the 2004 “Malice at the Palace” brawl while playing for the Indiana Pacers, which resulted in misdemeanor assault charges and a no-contest plea in 2005.

More: Jerome Tang buyout, contract details as Kansas State Wildcats coach Whether Kansas State gives serious consideration to the former NBA star remains unclear, but his public interest has already added intrigue to the Wildcats’ search. Tang finished his tenure with a 71-57 overall record as the Wildcats look to regroup in an increasingly competitive conference.

More college basketball news: Adrian Autry buyout, contract details as Syracuse Orange coach Bruce Pearl sends warning to NBA teams about Kansas' Darryn Peterson AJ Dybantsa makes college basketball history never done by NBA stars John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix Texas Tech's March Madness hopes take major hit with JT Toppin injury There's an unconventional candidate in the running.

There's an unconventional candidate in the running.