Metta Artest played in the NBA a AND a worked at Circuit City at the same time!

2 Feb 2026 · 1 min

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In this narrated YouTube segment, Dan Novaes recounts the 1999 anecdote of Ron Artest, a 20‑year‑old first‑round NBA draft pick for the Chicago Bulls, taking a part‑time job at Circuit City while earning over a million dollars a year. Artest listed "NBA player" as his occupation and even used Bulls GM Jerry Krause as a reference, yet the electronics retailer hired him. He worked a single shift, helped customers, and used his employee discount, sparking rapid word‑of‑mouth in Chicago and prompting the league to shut the stunt down. Novaes argues that this brief, unexpected job foreshadowed Artest’s later career—marked by the infamous "Malice at the Palace" brawl, rap‑album releases during playoff runs, a legal name change to Metta World Peace, and publicly thanking his psychiatrist after winning an NBA championship. The story is presented as an illustration of Artest’s unpredictable, unconventional, and unforgettable path, concluding with a promotional plug for the UBK channel.

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In 1999, Ron Artest worked a shift at Circuit City while playing for the Chicago Bulls. At the time he was a 20 year old first round NBA draft pick making over a million dollars a year. But the NBA lifestyle was starting to get out of control and Artest wanted something to keep him grounded. So he did something no one expected. He applied for a job at Circuit Cities. On his application, he listed NBA player as his occupation and even named Bulls GM Jerry Krause as a reference. And somehow they hired him. Ron showed up for his first shift, helped customers, and even used his 50% employee discount to buy a few things. Word spread fast across Chicago and not long after, Gary shut it down. It wasn't exactly a great look for the league. Artist only worked one shift, but in hindsight it was the perfect preview of his career. Unpredictable, unconventional and unforgettable. From the Malice at the palace to releasing rap albums during playoff runs, to changing his name to Meta World Peace, to thanking his psychiatrist after winning an NBA championship, one shift at Circuit City was all it took to tell you Ron Artest was never going to be a normal NBA star. For more entrepreneur stories and information like this, follow UBK.