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    •  November 3, 2016

    Metta World Peace is latest to have a ghostly encounter In OKC

    November 3, 2016
    Mike Calendrillo
    Subscriber
    Mike Calendrillo
    Subscriber

    For a man who has had more identity crises than the late singer/songwriter Prince, Metta World Peace knows one thing for damn sure — he was inappropriately touched by a ghost. 

    On a recent road trip to Oklahoma City, the Lakers, whom World Peace still plays for (did you know that?) were staying at the infamous Skirvin Hotel. I say infamous because this is but the latest occurrence of things gone awry inside the 105-year-old hotel.

    In February of this year, Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving awoke furiously itchy, only to find a number of large bed bugs lying on his pillow.

    Swaggy P (Nick Young) claims that in 2011, while as a member of the Clippers, he too contracted flu-like symptoms via those pesky bed bugs.

    I couldn’t see my son because I was breaking out in hives. It was terrible. Now I’m paranoid.

    Nick Young

    Getting back to the supernatural side of things, word has spread throughout NBA circles that things go bump in the night at the Skirvin. Lakers guard Lou Williams and forward Larry Nance refused to stay with the rest of the team, spending the night instead at a nearby hotel.

    I’m not going to play with that. I’d rather pay for my peace of mind. If they say it’s haunted, that’s enough for me. I’m not going to roll the dice.

    Lou Williams via the Orange County Register

    World Peace, aka Ron Artest, seemed to be in mostly good spirits after his late night encounter.

    The ghosts were all over me. I just accepted it. They touched me all over the place. I’m taking one of the ghosts to court for touching me in the wrong places.

    Metta World Peace

    Other NBA players have stated similar eerie details while staying at the Skirvin, which was once closed for 20 years. In 2010, Eddy Curry and Jared Jeffries of the Knicks blamed moans and groans for a night’s worth of restless sleep. Shortly after, Taj Gibson of the Bulls was at a loss as to why his bathroom door slammed shut. His teammate at the time, Derrick Rose was quoted as saying, “It was scary last night.”

    Hauntings at the Skirvin aren’t reserved for NBA players only, though. HBO’s Bill Simmons details his encounter back in 2011.

    At first, I heard a baby crying and realized that was why I woke up. … Suddenly, it dawned on me that I wasn’t alone. I had an overpowering sensation that someone else was in the room.

    Bill Simmons

    Simmons spent the next three and a half hours in the room with the lights and TV on, too afraid to go back to sleep.

    So there you have it — if you’re in the mood for a good scare next Halloween, head to Oklahoma City and stay on the 10th floor of the Skirvin Hotel.

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