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Lakers report: Metta World Peace returns to Detroit, and he wants to help the city

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Metta World Peace has a complicated history with the city of Detroit.

But when World Peace had an idea he thought could help the children of Detroit, he didn’t let that complicated history get in the way of what he saw as a city in need.

“I was actually trying to present it to Donald Trump before he was president,” said World Peace, who was known as Ron Artest in the 2004 brawl at the Palace. “Just have a meeting. I still want to set it up. Because I feel like what I have planned, I think it falls in line with Democrats and Republicans. … I think I have a good idea that can help the city of Detroit. I also want to do it in Buffalo too. Buffalo has similar issues. Not as bad, but similar.”

World Peace returned to Detroit this summer, with a friend, to participate in a charity basketball event. Between games, he spoke to the kids in attendance about life and basketball. Then he saw the city.

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“I was driving around, saw all the abandoned houses, abandoned businesses and abandoned warehouses,” World Peace said. “It made me sick. I said, ‘Hey I want to come back again.’”

On Wednesday, he visited Noble Middle School in Detroit after the Lakers completed their shoot-around.

An idea struck him when he saw those empty structures and heard about the city’s crisis with schools. According to the Detroit Free Press, the state of Michigan plans to close 16 schools in Detroit and 38 statewide. World Peace wanted the abandoned buildings turned into community centers.

“School was like my second dad, second mom,” he said. “… For the schools that are closing down and the kids that aren’t getting their education … you can use some of your abandoned homes. You can use them. You can use them for different activities, educational activities. Not necessarily math or reading. Life skills, different things.”

To World Peace, it’s worth trying.

“Maybe it only lasts a year, maybe it only lasts two years,” he said. “It’s worth seeing if it’s a viable idea.”

Palatial goodbye

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When the Lakers walked into the Palace for their shoot-around Wednesday morning, they laughed and joked about World Peace’s history with the building.

One teammate lay down on the scorer’s table, the way World Peace did as he tried to calm himself in the middle of the brawl that defined his career for several years. World Peace joked that he would take a selfie in front of the bench in the spot where a fan threw a drink at him, causing World Peace to chase after him.

Wednesday marked the last time any of them would play in the building, as the Pistons are moving to an arena in downtown Detroit next season.

“I still get a little bit of flashbacks sometimes,” World Peace said. “Not out here, when the fans are there it’s cool, but when nobody’s in there you can reflect more. When fans are there, you shoot and score, it’s easy. Sometimes you can look at places and I see exactly where everything happened.”

He does have fond memories of playing in bruising contests against the Pistons. World Peace was part of an Indiana Pacers team that fell to the Pistons in the 2004 Eastern Conference finals.

“Those were the roughest games I ever played,” World Peace said. “Every single game, good lord. Every single game you go home angry. … Then when they went to play the Lakers it was easy.”

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The Lakers that lost to the Pistons in the Finals in five games that year included rookie Luke Walton. lost the series 4-1. Walton remembered the power of a Detroit team that worked so well together and was so committed to each other and winning.

He also remembered something else.

“All the fruit they would give us in the locker room was rotten and stale, the popcorn was stale, the hot water didn’t work in the shower,” Walton said. “I respect it, honestly. It’s the NBA Finals. They’re trying to win and make it uncomfortable for the other team. Obviously it’s got a lot of history here. It’ll be missed.”

tania.ganguli@latimes.com

Follow Tania Ganguli on Twitter @taniaganguli

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