Metta World Peace says he'll have platelet-rich plasma procedure on knee
Knicks' Metta World Peace looks on from the court against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. (Nov. 10, 2013) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Metta World Peace said he will undergo a platelet-rich plasma procedure on his left knee Jan. 6.
World Peace, who tore his left meniscus last season with the Lakers, said he considered flying to Germany to have it done, as former teammate Kobe Bryant did. But World Peace said he learned he could have the PRP procedure done in New York, and the process already has begun.
In PRP, a doctor withdraws about 50 cubic centimeters of blood, spins it in a centrifuge and injects it directly into the injured area. World Peace said he's already had his blood taken and "the spinning stuff" has started.
World Peace said Jan. 6 is the earliest he could do it because of the holidays. He hasn't ruled out playing between now and then, although he sat out Monday night's game against Orlando.
"You're really not out a lot," World Peace said. "You can play right away, but I'm going to sit out when I get it."
World Peace also said he has had his surgically repaired left knee drained three times this season, including last week, and that he has a cyst in his knee.
The Knicks have not revealed any of that, nor have they announced or confirmed that World Peace will have PRP therapy. The Knicks listed World Peace as out because of a sore left knee.
"When you have liquid in your knee, it's telling you something is wrong with your knee," World Peace said. "There's a couple of things that the doctors say might calm my cyst down. The cyst is the problem. But the cyst is telling me something else is wrong, so the rest and all that is going to be very important. I'm at a point now where I'm going to do what it takes to get healthy, do the procedure and that's it."
World Peace was supposed to miss six weeks when he tore his meniscus last March and returned 12 days later so he could play in the postseason.
He believes coming back quickly is the reason he's having knee issues, and said he's had it drained five times since the summer. He thinks PRP is the answer now.
"It will strengthen [the knee], a lot of things," World Peace said. "It helps the ligaments, helps the cartilage, it helps with arthritis, it helps with so many things that I can benefit. On top of the rest, that's going to benefit also, which is something I never did."