Maya Sandiford Artest: Acting Career, Family, and Life With Metta
Maya Sandiford Artest is a Canadian actress and model. She is married to former NBA champion Metta Sandiford-Artest. He was once known as Ron Artest and later as Metta World Peace. She has built her own screen career under the name Maya Ford. Her credits include Christmas Class Reunion and Creepshow. They also include Emperor of Ocean Park and the Apple TV+ drama Smoke. The couple married in 2018 after six years together.
Her name often appears beside her husband’s because of his long NBA career. Yet she has her own story. It includes acting, modeling, family, and life in Canada and the United States. She was born in Vancouver and has Japanese and Trinidadian roots. In recent years, her acting work has grown. In 2024, the couple also shared news that they were expecting their first child together.
Early Life Between Canada and Japan
Maya was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her acting profile describes her as Japanese Trinidadian. It also says her family roots reach both Trinidad and Japan.
TVMaze says she grew up between Tokyo and Courtenay, British Columbia. She speaks Japanese. That background shaped her life in more than one culture and place.
She has kept much of her early family life private. Still, her link to Canada and Japan is clear. Those ties stayed part of her life even after she began spending more time in Los Angeles for work.
From Modeling Into Acting
Maya Sandiford Artest first became known in fashion and modeling. Acting later became a bigger part of her public career.
Her screen work grew over time. In 2022, she played Katie Frick in the Hallmark movie Christmas Class Reunion. Rotten Tomatoes lists her in the cast with Aimee Teegarden, Tanner Novlan, and Dejan Loyola.
That same year, she appeared in Time for Him to Come Home for Christmas. The two parts came before she moved into other kinds of shows.
In 2023, she appeared in Creepshow. She played a nurse in the “Baby Teeth” story. The role was small, but it added horror to a list that had already included holiday drama.
Her next roles kept that range going. In 2024, she played Kira in Emperor of Ocean Park. In 2025, she appeared as Darlene in two episodes of Smoke. The Apple TV+ crime drama stars Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett.
By 2026, her film work also included Girls Like Girls, where she played Tracy.
Why Some Credits Use the Name Maya Ford
Some people may not find all of Maya Sandiford Artest’s acting work at first. A key reason is simple. She is often credited as Maya Ford.
That name appears in film and TV databases. It is tied to Christmas Class Reunion, Creepshow, Emperor of Ocean Park, Smoke, and other projects.
The two names can split her work across different pages. Once linked, the timeline is easier to follow.
IMDb lists Maya Ford as an actress and producer. Its profile says she was born in Vancouver and works across North American film and TV.
Marriage to Metta Sandiford-Artest
Maya Sandiford Artest married Metta in 2018. Essence reported that they had been together for six years before the wedding.
Their relationship stayed fairly private while Metta remained a well-known public figure. By that point, he had already spent many years in the NBA and had gone through one famous name change.
He was born Ronald William Artest Jr. In 2011, he legally became Metta World Peace.
Years later, marriage led to another change. He said he had taken his wife’s surname and added it to his own.
In 2020, NBC Sports reported that he was using the name Metta Sandiford-Artest. The report said Sandiford came from his wife.
That move made her family name part of a rare NBA name story.
A Long Relationship Before Parenthood
Maya Sandiford Artest and Metta took their time before starting a family together.
In 2024, Maya told Essence that they had moved slowly through their relationship. She said they married after six years together.
That same year, People reported that the pair had been together for 12 years and were expecting a baby boy. It was their first child together.
The pregnancy came as a surprise. Maya said a doctor told her she might not be ovulating. She and Metta thought having a child could take longer. They also thought they might need fertility help.
Instead, she became pregnant without that step.
She also spoke about a hard first trimester. She was often sick. Metta helped with food and care during those months.
The news marked a new stage in their marriage. It also came after more than a decade together.
Joining a Blended Family
Metta was already a father when they married.
People identified his older children as Ron III, Jeron, Sadie, and Diamond. Maya therefore joined an established family. Later, the couple prepared for a child of their own.
Public interviews do not show every part of that family life. Most of the 2024 coverage focused on the new baby and the couple’s hopes for parenthood.
Metta said he had spent much of his older children’s early years working. He said he was excited to be more present this time.
Maya said she was most excited to meet and hold the baby.
The Name Change That Linked Their Public Identities
Maya Sandiford Artest became part of her husband’s public name story in 2020.
Before that, basketball fans knew him first as Ron Artest and then as Metta World Peace. His 2011 name change was already one of the better-known off-court stories of his career.
After marriage, he added his wife’s surname.
NBC Sports reported the new name as Metta Sandiford-Artest. By 2024, major outlets such as People and Essence were also using that name.
The change tied his public name to his marriage. It also caused more people to search for the woman behind the Sandiford name.
Her Acting Work Grew After Marriage
Maya’s marriage did not become the end point of her career.
Most of her better-known screen credits came after 2018. Christmas Class Reunion arrived in 2022. Creepshow followed in 2023. Emperor of Ocean Park came in 2024.
Smoke gave her another step forward in 2025. Metacritic lists Maya Ford as Darlene in two episodes of the Apple TV+ series.
Her 2026 credit in Girls Like Girls shows that the work continued.
The parts have often been supporting roles. Still, the pattern is steady. She kept adding film and TV work over several years.
That gives Maya Sandiford Artest a clear work story beyond her link to an NBA star. Her recent credits show an active screen career of her own.
Working Between Los Angeles and Vancouver
Maya’s acting profile says she divides her time between Los Angeles and Vancouver. That fits the path shown by her screen credits.
Los Angeles keeps her close to the U.S. film and TV industry. Vancouver is also a major production city and connects her to the place where she was born.
Her recent work reflects that wider North American base. She has appeared in Hallmark projects, horror TV, crime drama, and other film work.
The two-city link also makes sense with her family roots. Canada remains part of her personal story even as her acting career brings her into U.S. productions.
Maya Sandiford Artest has not built her public image around constant interviews. Her work is easier to trace through credits and selected media appearances.
Life and Career Today
As of 2026, Maya Sandiford Artest remains married to Metta and continues to appear in acting credits under Maya Ford.
Her recent work includes Smoke in 2025 and Girls Like Girls in 2026. Earlier roles include Christmas Class Reunion and Creepshow. She also appeared in Emperor of Ocean Park. Her screen work grew over time.
Her marriage still draws attention because of Metta’s NBA past and his choice to add her surname to his own. Yet her own work is now easier to see.
She has kept working in film and TV while building a family with her husband. That helps explain why interest in her keeps growing.
For another carefully sourced story about an NBA family, read our Stacy Hornacek profile next on LakewoodScoop.co.uk.