"If I don't win it, I'm done": Metta Sandiford-Artest on NBA head coaching gig, life after basketball and more (Exclusive)
During his NBA career, Metta Sandiford-Artest's unenviable assignment entailed defending the opposing team’s best player.
After mostly mastering that challenge through 17 NBA seasons, Sandiford-Artest has a more ambitious goal. He hopes he can become an NBA head coach, but he would like to only have that role for five years.
“I want to try to win a title and get in and out,” Sandiford-Artest told Sportskeeda. “That’s my goal. If I don’t win it, I’m done. I’ll give myself five years because I’m also big on making a social impact.”
In part one of a two-part interview with Sportskeeda, Sandiford-Artest detailed some of those projects ever since his NBA career ended following the 2016-17 season. He has overseen Artest Management Group, a commercial holdings company after taking digital-marketing related classes at UCLA and Concordia University Irvine. After serving as player development coach for the Lakers’ G League team (2017-18), Sandiford-Artest also worked as an assistant coach with the Palisades high school girls basketball team and with Cal State Los Angeles.
Interview with Metta World Peace (Part 1)
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed
You’ve been busy. You’ve been coaching, working with Spectrum Sportsnet and appeared on “NBA Hooper Vision.” What else are you up to these days?
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“Coaching is great. That’s going well. Artest Management Group is going well. We have the sports agency vertical. We have an accelerative vertical. We are working on the management company and the firm. It’s cool. I went back to school and applied to some business. A lot of people will say, ‘Try to find yourself to do this and to do that. But what about you learn it?’ Some people don’t believe that a jock is capable of learning how to manage, operate, delegate and build out processes and add technology and scale. I had to give myself confidence because so many people were trying to say that an athlete cannot become a chairman of a board or work with the investors or work with corporations. I went from losing corporate deals to working with corporations and becoming a corporation myself. It's a whole different challenge with what I’m doing now. But anybody that knows my grit, I don’t get tired and I can adjust. I’m able to adjust from when I had the ball in my hands when I played throughout my career.”
You’re always growing, though, and trying to build off of new opportunities. Where are you at this stage with taking classes and the projects you’re doing?
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“The main thing is how do you not beg? On top of being a basketball player, we are in a society and environment where it’s things to do outside of basketball. From that perspective, when you look at politics, we are asking for reparations. We don’t know if we’re going to get reparations. In the meantime, you have to go get it. You have to be the reparation. You can’t wait. From that perspective, I took on the challenge on how do you become a corporation? How do you play with the big boys and big women? You cater that to who you are. I have a love for math, sports and fun and entertainment and social impact. What does that mean to me? My firm is unique to me. It’s things that I love and things that are necessary."
"I went back to school. Hopefully that is inspiring. I know some people get turned off by culture talk. Hopefully it’s inspiring and informative in how I come across and it’s an update on what I’m doing. I went back to UCLA and went back to school when I retired [in 2017]. I went back for junior marketing. That’s what I loved. When I retired, I was going to do four things. I was going to be a rapper, full time. I wanted to pass the Series 7 [exam]. I wanted to coach. Or I wanted to get into digital marketing. I was going to do one of those four things, but I wasn’t going to do them all. I coached. When I retired, I was coaching with the G League for a little bit. I told the Lakers that I wasn’t going to be able to be full-time. I played 17 years in my career, and there was so much negative and positive energy with my career. So I didn’t want to go right into basketball. But I was at the G League and training. Then I studied for my Series 7. I went back to UCLA and took some extension courses in digital marketing for coding, social media and digital analytics. I went to Concordia [University] Irvine for business analytics. I did Google Analytics in Vancouver. I didn’t want to rap because I wanted to be home. I didn’t want to be on the road and be in that environment. I wanted to perform, but I didn’t want to be out late. So I said, ‘Nah, it’s over.’ I want to be home with my family."
"I didn’t want to get right into coaching for those same reasons. I dwindled out of that. I studied for my Series 7. That was a lot of work, but I didn’t want to sit behind a desk. I wanted to be out. So I could have studied for it and could’ve passed it. But I didn’t want to sit behind a desk, so that’s why I got into digital marketing. When I found out that I had the endurance, I was doing digital marketing. I found out this is a lot of work, but I’m not tired. I had to read code to learn about data analysis and all of this stuff. It was fun. It was just like when you’re on the court and you’re running. You want to stop, but are you going to stop? No, it’s a Game 7. You don’t want to start because I’m tired. I’m having fun. That’s what led me to digital marketing. Why was I in digital marketing? At the beginning of my career, I wanted to do my own shoe. I didn’t want to sign with a company. In my career, I was trying to do marketing on my own. No one helped me. If one of my clients said to me, ‘I want to launch a beverage or I want to launch a perfume,’ we go through a process. We’ll do a business plan and financial model and build some infrastructure. Then we’ll go out and do what we got to do, whether we fund it or get some non-diluted capital or we’re going to raise dilute capital. But for me, people said, it’s impossible. I was 19 years old. I grew frustrated during my first year in the league. The people I’m around are saying I can’t, and something is telling me that I can. But I don’t know who to go to. So all my energy was diverted to hanging out, being on the court and doing other things. But in my mind, I wanted to be creative. From that perspective, as I grew older and got into the music business, my music career wasn’t successful because I’m not marketing. I’m playing basketball. I don’t have time to market. I don’t have time to set up a marketing strategy and capture data. Then the clothing comes, same thing with Panda’s Friend. That’s what led me to digital marketing to now I understand how to pursue a brand, genre or industry that I’m interested in and I have longevity because I don’t need to hire an agency. That’s why I’ll move like a turtle. I’ll just learn it. Now I’m in a position where I can launch different things for myself and other people. That’s where we’re at now. In the VC world, you have a lot of companies. Some of them are not going to do well. It’s a numbers game. So I have 40 companies. It’s a VC world. Some of them are going to turn around. Some of them are not. Some of them are in my control. Some of them don’t.”
What did you think of the experience of being a coach with the South Bay Lakers?
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“I can’t live without basketball. Besides my family, nothing makes me happier than basketball. Secondly, would be digital marketing and anything with math. When I coached in South Bay, initially I didn’t want to jump right in. I only want to be a head coach for five years. I don’t want to be a coach any longer than that. Once I get my shot, I’ll try to win a title. I don’t see myself being there in the long run. But South Bay was incredible. The last two years I played, I was pretty much a coach, too. I was working with Julius Randle and all the other guys. That was some coaching. I was getting called up at 2 am and 3 am by players to come to the gym. When I was with the G-League, I had a player that wasn’t playing much and wasn’t going to go to the NBA. But he called me at 2 am and said, ‘Can you come to the gym, coach?’ I was like, ‘For sure! I’m up.’ If I’m going to work, I’m working."
"I tried to get promoted quickly to other jobs, but that was kind of difficult because I’m an alpha male. Sorry. Hopefully and respectfully, no one takes that disrespectfully. But some people don’t like to be around alpha males, so I guess I have to be myself (laughs). But my last two years in the league, I was coaching Palisades’ girls. After practice, I would coach the girls. I got two championships at Palisades High School and with the same coach that has been at Cal State LA for the last five years: Torino [Johnson]. I’ve been coaching at Cal State LA for five years. Our practices are at 6 am. So I’m up at that time almost every other day.”
What is a Metta-coached practice like?
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“As you know, I was really good on defense and I was really good on offense. So some people say that ‘Metta is a defensive coach.’ I’m going to argue that. Name anybody who thinks Metta is just a defensive coach, has there also been anyone else that also averaged 20 points in the league? (laughs). And have you ever been a No. 1 option on the team? So I’m for sure not only a defensive coach. We have a high-powered offense. It’s about passion, energy and encouragement. You know me. I’m about impact and empowerment."
"When I’m coaching the girls, Coach Torino gives me a lot of freedom. Last year, we went to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. Those strategies can be applied anywhere. I’ve played in the league. So if people say, ‘How can you run a team?’ Well, I ran a team before when I was on the court. It’s execution style. There’s two ways you can call it. It's about executing what you have to do and also killing the other team. I was both. I played the triangle [offense] and learned it in one year. I actually learned it in one month. That was part of my math background because the triangle is about angles. It’s not complicated, but it was for a lot of people.”
I remember you saying you wanted your system have a mix of the triangle and modern-day offensive sets.
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“Modern-day triangle concepts. Everybody has triangle concepts. There is a lot of one-on-one. But team ball still wins championships. Team execution. You have players like Kawhi Leonard, who learned under [Gregg] Popovich. Or a player like Stephen Curry, who plays in a system, but also has that individual game and can play off the ball. You can’t be stagnant if you want to win a title. You can have fun and be a star. But do you want to be a champion? I’m not coming in here and baby sitting. I’ll leave that for your parents.”
Why do you only want to be a head coach for five years?
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“There’s a reason. If anybody ever wants to train with me, it’s free. I don’t charge. I love basketball. It doesn’t feel like work. My line is always open to train. That’s the most fun thing ever. I coached in the Drew League for 10 years and coached girls in Los Angeles. But why five years? I want to try to win a title and get in and out. That’s my goal. If I don’t win it, I’m done. I’ll give myself five years because I’m also big on making a social impact. I’ve hustled so hard with my conditioning. I gave basketball a lot. But I would also love to try to win a title as a head coach."
"I don’t want anyone’s job. But if a job were ever available, I would love to be on the books for an interview. If not, that’s fine, too. I have worked with teams. Basketball is fun for me. If a team ever needed me to come down and teach defense, I’ll be there. I don’t really need a check for basketball. But the only thing I’d want to do is be a head coach. Coach Torino is teaching me how to be a head coach. Rick Carlisle thinks I can be a head coach one day. He’s always told me I could be a head coach. I have way more experience than a lot of people. I have a lot of experience being on the court against coaches that would try to get me off of their Hall-of-Fame players. They would call one play, another play and another play. But I would muck it all up. From that perspective, I have seen every single offense possible. I’ve seen everything.I don’t want anyone’s job. I don’t have any general managers’ or presidents’ numbers where I can call. I have no influence. It’s just 'Metta the alpha.'"
To get to that goal, what is your appetite and willingness to do any assistant coaching gigs first?
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“None. I’m full. How is my appetite? I’m full. How is my appetite to be a head coach? Hungry.”
Why no appetite to be an assistant coach? That can be an appetizer before the entrée.
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“Respectfully to everybody that worked their way up to being a head coach, I hope nobody takes this the wrong way or thinks this is boujee. I’m far from boujee. When I made it into the league, I was in Queensbridge all the time. When I got to Chicago, the first place I went to was Cabrini-Green. When I got to LA, the first place I went to was Compton. So, I’m definitely not boujee. But the reason is that in life you should do what you love. Everybody should have that option. Why did I go back to school? Because I love digital marketing. Why did I learn how to read code? Why would I spend all of that time and all of that passion to read code? Because I loved it. Why do I volunteer to coach and not get paid and go to practice at 6 am? Because I love it. Do I want to be an assistant coach? That’s free. Just call me. That is totally free and you can get me to the gym, pay for my flight and I’m there every day of the week. I don’t like to do things that feel like work because I work hard enough in my daily life."
"I really enjoy being on the board at UCLA’s psychiatric ward. I really enjoy helping my female founders. The company is doing solid. I don’t enjoy talking about bad people on TV. So you’ll never see me doing a television show because I’m not about criticizing players whatsoever. I’m not trying to get anybody’s job. I’m also fine with never being a head coach. But if anybody wants to offer me a head-coaching job, I’ll be there in the morning.”
How would you answer this hypothetical and real question from an executive. “We fully respect your player resume and knowledge of the game. It’s not unprecedented for a former player to become a head coach without assistant coaching experience. But why not explore assistant coaching gigs to sharpen the toolbox?’”
Metta Sandiford-Artest:
“Rick Carlisle told me when I was 23 that I would be a great head coach. We were one of the best teams in the league, and there were times they would say, ‘This is the defensive scheme.’ I would say, ‘Don’t worry about it; stay home.’ In Sacramento, we had a game where we had to step up our defense. Coach [Rick] Adelman let me, Corliss Williamson and Shareef Abdur-Rhahim to determine what we do with the defense. We almost beat the Spurs [in the 2006 playoffs]. I have that experience other people don’t have. When people talk about assistant coaching, dig deep into that question. How many coaches came from other leagues and other countries and coached in the league without any experience and then lost? Now, you look at me. I was coaching while I was with the Lakers. My last two years, I’m giving my teammates plays that I mentored. Look at what they’re all doing now with Julius [Randle], [Brandon] Ingram, [D’Angelo] Russell, [Jordan] Clarkson."
"Then I coached in the G-League. I wasn’t on staff. I was more of a development coach. Who got up at 3 am for a G League player? Michael Holyfield can attest to that. Then you look at my last nine years coaching girls and how many championships we had at Palisades. Look at Cal State the last five years, it’s the first time they made the playoffs in 12 years. Somebody is ready. I don’t need help. I have no circles. But if I ever get an opportunity, nobody can influence me except for the people that pay me. I’m coming to win. That’s my pitch. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But if it happens, it’ll be one of the best things to ever happen in my life.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.