It has been five long years since Metta Sandiford-Artest, aka Metta World Peace, aka Ron Artest, last suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, it is clear that his loyalty still lies with the purple & gold. A testament to this fact is the 42-year-old's very bold prediction for LA this coming season.

Metta was in attendance during a fun-filled ESPYs event on Wednesday night, and he was asked to share his thoughts about the current situation the Lakers are facing. The man was unfazed, and instead of talking about how LA has been struggling to make the necessary improvements to their roster thus far, Metta decided to come out with a fearless forecast for what's ahead for his former team in 2022-23 (h/t ClutchPoints on Twitter):

“I think the Lakers will win the title this year. LeBron will probably get MVP,” Metta said. ” … I got the Lakers in 5 in the Finals.”

There you have it. The Lakers are going to win it all next season behind LeBron James' MVP campaign. This is going to be title No. 18 for the franchise and the fifth championship for James. The King is also going to be winning his fifth MVP title.

There should no longer be any doubt about all this. This is Metta Standiford-Artest speaking here, and his words will surely turn prophetic.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wsaZIZrrM0YHuxwMRJN2Z?si=891136084af34d8e

All jokes aside, though, Metta is probably seeing something we aren't. The last time I checked, the Lakers still have pretty much the same team they had last season. I'm not sure there has been a significant enough change for LA to be dubbed as title favorites next year.