Maria Sharapova's name change brings back memories of other sportstars doing the same

5) Ron Artest/Metta World Peace

Ron Artest was a successful NBA player with a bright future ahead of him. He had everything that a man could desire. But there was something missing, something that he couldn’t put his finger on.

In September 2011, Artest had a breakthrough with his problem of not having enough of a charmed life. The solution? A cool name. Ron Artest was apparently not enough of a cool name for him, so he legally changed it to Metta World Peace.

“Metta” is a Buddhist word which roughly translates to friendship and/or kindness, which is pretty ironic considering what happened in the infamous brawl between players and fans of Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons.

Artest was at the center of the altercation and for his part in the brawl, he was suspended for 86 games – the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history.

Still, he got what he wanted. A pretty cool name.