Metta World Peace revealed on ‘The Masked Singer’ as Cuddle Monster: ‘The reaction was funny’

"The Masked Singer" unmasked basketball icon Metta World Peace as Cuddle Monster on Wednesday night’s new episode. 

The former athlete, who rose to fame in the NBA, told FOX Television Stations that he initially didn’t want to be on "The Masked Singer."

"You know, I almost gave reality television a retirement party," Metta World Peace shared. "I'm not as young as I used to be. I'm not a spring duck as they would say." 

But after watching the show with his family, the 44-year-old decided to do it.

Nick Cannon and Metta World Peace on "The Masked Singer." (Credit: Michael Becker/FOX)

"Everybody thought it would be fun," he continued. "I decided to do it. I learned how to sing a little bit. The coaching was a great experience, and the costume – I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed that costume. It was incredible." 

Metta World Peace played basketball professionally for nearly two decades. During his career, he was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, an NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors. He won an NBA championship in 2010 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Following his reveal on "The Masked Singer," he revealed that he was worried about the response. 

RELATED: Metta World Peace faces his fears on Tubi original special

"You know, the reaction was funny. I kept it under wraps as much as I could… I was shocked about the response and I was I was a little worried about the response, honestly … Just cause, you know, I don't want people to think I'm trying to become like Luther Vandross and start singing and stuff. You know, it was just a little fun on ‘The Masked Singer.’"

Metta World Peace said that his experience on the reality series taught him to come out of his shell.

Cuddle Monster performs in the "Trolls Night" episode of "The Masked Singer." (Credit: Michael Becker / FOX)

"I learned that just doing things and thinking outside the box, and being a little bit outside of yourself is okay every now and then, right? So, that's probably the biggest lesson," he concluded.

"The Masked Singer" will return on November 29 for "Disco Night." 

"The Masked Singer" Season 10 airs Wednesdays at 8/9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. 

This station is owned by FOX Corporation.