Sports brief: Metta World Peace agrees to join Knicks

NBA • Metta World Peace is coming home to play for the New York Knicks. World Peace confirmed Monday that he had agreed to a two-year, $3.2 million deal with the team. The small forward became a free agent Sunday when he was not claimed after the Los Angeles Lakers waived him Friday. The Los Angeles Clippers also expressed interest. In 75 games last season, he averaged 12.4 points and five rebounds.

World Peace grew up in Queens and played two seasons at St. John's.

• The new-look Atlanta Hawks signed two-time All-Star Elton Brand. The 34-year-old Brand averaged 7.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season with the Dallas Mavericks. He played in 72 games, with 18 starts. While clearly not the player he once was, the Hawks intend to use the 6-foot-9 Brand in a backup role behind center Al Horford and power forward Paul Millsap.

Russian team signs ex-Devil Kovalchuk

hockey • Russian team SKA St. Petersburg says it has signed forward Ilya Kovalchuk to a four-year contract. Last week, Kovalchuk walked away from $77 million left on his 15-year contract with the New Jersey Devils. SKA did not disclose the terms of the deal with Kovalchuk in its statement Monday.

Kovalchuk scored 417 goals and added 399 assists in 816 NHL games. His best seasons were in 2005-06 and 2007-08 when he scored a career-high 52 goals. He had three other 40-goal seasons.

Kovalchuk played with SKA St. Petersburg during the recent lockout.

• Canadiens forward Blake Geoffrion is retiring from the NHL at age 25. Geoffrion had been considering stepping away from hockey due to lingering effects of a skull fracture and concussion suffered during an American Hockey League game in November. He announced his decision on Monday.

Manziel accepts plea agreement

college football • Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge stemming from his arrest last year for fighting outside a bar near campus. The Heisman Trophy winner made a brief appearance in court Monday in College Station, Texas, and admitted he failed to identify himself to police following the altercation in June 2012. As part of a plea deal, other charges against the 20-year-old, including disorderly conduct, were dropped.

From wire reports