You can’t fault Metta World Peace for trying.

He spent 16 minutes with reporters trying every which way not to say anything about the NBA retroactively giving him a flagrant foul type 1 on a play in the Lakers’ win Sunday against the Denver Nuggets on forward Kenneth Faried.

World Peace and Dwight Howard lead the NBA with five flagrant foul points. Should either of them commit a flagrant foul type 1 in the remaining 24 regular season games, World Peace and Howard will serve a one-game suspension. A flagrant foul type 2 would result in a two-game suspension.

But don’t tell World Peace that. He’ll claim ignorance over the whole situation. Below is his 16-minute exchange with reporters.

Reporter: Did the league inform you got upgraded to a flagrant foul type 2 on the Faried play?

World Peace: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Reporter: Right. There was a moment you hit Faried with your elbow at the end of the third quarter and on the video, it showed you were looking at your elbow and was in a high level of pain. Do you remember that play at all?

World Peace: No.

Reporter: Well the league ugpraded that to a flagrant foul type 2.

World Peace: Oh.

Reporter: Are you going to protest it since you don’t remember it?

Me: I don’t even know what you’re talking about.

Reporter: You have five flagrant foul points. If you get six points, you’re suspended.

World Peace: Okay.

Reporter: So will that change how you play?

World Peace: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Reporter: Let’s say you did have five, would that change how you play?

World Peace: I don’t know. I don’t know what you’re talking about.

When you play basketball, how do you play aggressively without getting called for a foul.

World Peace:I don’t know what you’re talking about. I really don’t.

Reporter: Do you want to see the replay?

World Peace to a male reporter: “I have a feeling when the song, ‘This Girl is on Fire,’ you know that song? I think when that song comes on, you sing it and you sing, ‘This girl is on fire.'”

Male reporter: “Oh, I do all the time.”

World Peace: “You forget to say, ‘This guy.'”

Male reporter: “I do all the time. You’re right. Guilty.”

World Peace: “I almost got caught. I almost said, ‘This girl is on fire.’ I was like, ‘This g-g-guy is on fire.'”

Reporter: I have a feeling you know what we’re talking about.

World Peace:You have a sixth sense? That’s amazing.

Another reporter: I love these conversations with you. They’re always enteratining,

World Peace:Yeah we have Dwight. You know how we do it. There’s different levels of entertainment.

Reporter:That’s absolutely true.

World Peace:How was Denver

Reporter:it was good. My family was there.

World Peace:You like these guys and girls here?

Reporter:Yeah they’re new friends. They’re my L.A. family.

Reporter:How was Denver for you at the end of the third quarter?

World Peace:I don’t remember. I don’t remember anything about Denver. have I been there?

Reporter:Yeah, you were there on Monday.

World Peace:I usually move ahead. The only thing I know about my past is I had children. Anything else in my past, I can’t recall. I plead the fifth.

Reporter:You don’t remember how many championships you had?

World Peace:I had a ring?

Reporter:No you don’t. You donated it.

World Peace:I did? That’s a good thing.

Reporter:Moving forward, what’s your approach when you step on the court and play basketball.

World Peace:I don’t know. I’m assuming I know how to play. I don’t remember practicing. I move forward with my days. I don’t remember how to play. When I go out there, hopefully I can do this thing. I’m going to go out there tonight and hopefully perform. I don’t recall ever playing basketball.

Reporter:You don’t remember playing basketball? What if I showed you a clip playing basketball?

World Peace:Let me see the clip. I like you buddy. You’re funny. Show me everything.

Reporter: Do you remember hurting your elbow.

World Peace:I do have a teeth mark in my elbow. I can tell you that. I don’t know what happened. Tell me what happened.

Reporter:You were boxing out.

World Peace:So I boxed out? I need a detailed explanation.

Reporter:You elbowed Faried in the face or head.

World Peace:So I hit him? I don’t like that explanation. I don’t care about that.

Reporter:Did the league inform you there was any upgrade on you for there to be a flagrant foul?

World Peace:I don’t know. I don’t know what happened.

Reporter:Is there anything about the way Faried plays that resulted in both you and Dwight getting flagrants?

World Peace:I don’t know. I’m not the one to look back. I’m not the one to complain.

Reporter:Looking forward, what do you have to do not to get the flagrant?

World Peace:I just play basketball. I don’t know looking forward anything. I just know I have to play basketball.

Reporter:You’re not going to crack, are you?

World Peace:I want to crack. You know I want to crack.

Reporter:Just spill it to us.

World Peace:I want to spill it so bad and conversate with you guys so bad.

Reporter:You once said how can I give you a good answer without giving you a good quote?

World Peace:I’ll make it up to you guys and gals.

Reporter:So you are purposely being tight lipped on this issue?

World Peace:No, I just don’t know what happened. I was meditating. When I metitate, I zone out. Have you ever metitated?

Reporter:Metta tate or metitate?

World Peace:I like that. You will get royalties. Document it here. Try to crack me if you want.

Reporter:We tried for seven minutes. It didn’t work.

World Peace:I just don’t know what to say. There’s nothing I can say. I don’t remember. I don’t know what to say.

Reporter:So you don’t remember the play happening?

World Peace:I don’t know what to say.

Reporter:Yes or no- do you remember the play happening?

World Peace:You’re not my master. I just don’t know what to say.

Reporter:How do you feel?

World Peace:Look at me. I feel great. I just don’t know what to say.

Reporter:Is the league making rulings on your current season based on your past reputation?

World Peace:I don’t know what to say.

Reporter:I saw you nod your head yes.

World Peace:No you didn’t. There’s no cameras.

Reporter:Did you watch any games of some of the teams that you are chasing? Three teams that are ahead of you lost.

World Peace:I heard that Houston lost yesterday at the buzzer. But that’s not my concern. What they do is not my concern.

Reporter:What does this team have to do to make the playoffs?

World Peace:What we have to do is we have to call up other teams and ask then, ‘Can you please lose?’ Ask nicely. Please lose so we can go to the playoffs. Then we have to win. We have to win. That’s something I do know. So we’re established something.

Reporter:Relationships evolve

World Peace:We’re going to build this thing. We have to learn how to communicate together. Put that as a quote like I said.

Reporter:Go ahead and say it.

World Peace:No.

Reporter:I can’t say you said it if you didn’t say it.

World Peace:You can’t say that? But you can say that I said I asked you to put it as a quote. Make me something say really smart. If you make me say something really smart in the paper, I’ll give you an answer next time we meet.

Reporter:I’m really mad at the league.

World Peace:No. I want to sound like Einstein.

Reporter:David Stern should feel ashamed of himself.

World Peace:No.

Reporter:I’m sorry and I won’t do it again.

World Peace:No.

Reporter:I’ll be more careful next time.

World Peace:No. We should do a movie like a “Hangover’ movie. Like the craziest movie. You just stand there and document it the whole time and don’t say anything because you have not said anything since you’ve been here.

Reporter:I’m just thinking about what kind of movie it would be. You would have to go out in the streets in your pajamas again.

World Peace:There’s two reasons why I don’t want to talk about it. One of the reasons is because I don’t want to complain for guys getting on my back. I don’t want to complain. I don’t want to be in the media complaining for guys coming on my back and smashing me. That’s one reason. That’s one of the reasons why I don’ want to say anything because I have to complain. I think I’m tougher than that.

Reporter:What’s the second reason?

World Peace:That’s the reason. I had my nose broken before with guys flailing, but I didn’t call nobody. Marc Gasol, I was spitting up blood in Memphis a couple years ago. Marc Gasol flailed his arms and I was coughing up blood. But I’m not going to say anything. It’s hard for me to talk right now. I don’t feel like complaining because then I have to mention guys’ names. I don’t feel like mentioning other players names.

Reporter:Blake Griffin.

World Peace:I don’t feel like mentioning names. I don’t know if you remember a play where somebody did when he ran up to my back and I just stand there. I can absorb all the contact when guys are coming. Boom. That would mean I’d have to complain. I don’t want to be that guy. That’s why it’s hard to say anything right now. If you try to box a guy out, what are you going to do when he’s coming this fast? I can’t complain.

Reporter:Did you know about his nickname? He’s the Manimal?

World Peace:Really? I don’t know. I don’t know what to say. I’ll still play hard though every night. Not everybody is like him, though. He’s one of the few guys that comes that fast. That’s why I’m not worried about it. I can still play hard. Everybody won’t come as fast as he does to the offensive glass. He’s tough. He is tough.

Follow L.A. Daily News Lakers beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter. E-mail him at mark.medina@dailynews.com