Lakers forward Metta World Peace seemed surprised to receive a seven-game suspension for elbowing James Harden in the head, an insight he revealed in a brief podcast on iTunes that was made public Wednesday.
"I didn’t expect to get seven games. I also didn’t expect James Harden to be right behind me and I hit him with the elbow," World Peace said in his first public comments since a brief statement Sunday. "But I’m happy he’s OK. It could have been a bad elbow. I definitely didn’t mean to throw an elbow at Mr. Harden’s head."
World Peace spoke for a little more than two minutes, also giving details of his thought process in last Sunday's game against Oklahoma City.
"I ain’t dunked really like that in the last three years. Usually people contest my shot and they can block my shot but I’m feeling better now," he said. "We got the steal, Andrew Bynum threw me the ball, I’m going full speed, I see Kevin Durant, I get the ‘bang-bang’ with the left, I get the dunk with the left hand.
"Usually people will block them shots but I’m feeling so well. I was just way hyped up after that third dunk [of the game]. Do push-ups, jump up and down, and do muscles and flex to the crowd. Unfortunately, I hit Harden with the elbow."
Harden sustained a concussion and did not return to the game after he was hit by World Peace with 1:39 left in the second quarter of the Lakers' 114-106 double-overtime victory.
Harden did not play Tuesday against Sacramento but said earlier in the day on his Twitter account that he was feeling "solid."
World Peace will miss Thursday's regular-season finale against Sacramento and the Lakers' next six games. If they are eliminated in the playoffs in four or five games, World Peace will serve the remainder of the suspension — one or two games — to start next season.
World Peace finished his podcast Wednesday by saying, "Thanks for listening. Y’all take it easy."
--Mike Bresnahan
