NBA Considering Player Nicknames on Jerseys

The NBA is considering allowing players to wear their nicknames instead of last names on the back of their jerseys for one game during the upcoming season, this according to a report put out by the Associated Press and subsequently posted on the official NBA website.

Reportedly the game would be between the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets in one of their four meetings in 2013/14, players on both teams have been told to start coming up with a name to wear.

So at some point this season you’ll likely be seeing “King James” on the court next to “D-Wade” facing off against “K.G.”, and “The Truth”. Miami’s Ray Allen wants to use “Shuttlesworth”, while Shane Battier (who apparently isn’t a fan of this promotion) was rejected by the league for his first choice, “Batman” due to licensing issues; he’ll go with “Shaneo” instead.

I know what you’re thinking, first sponsor ads on the jerseys and now nicknames on the back… what’s going on with the association?

Granted, it all does sound a little XFL-ish, a little “minor league”.

But keep in mind, player nicknames on a jersey is nothing new in the big four, it just hasn’t been done for a number of years. You can go all the way back to the 1960s and find players wearing adopted monikers on the back of their uniform tops…

Wahoo McDaniel Miami Dolphins 1966 — Edward McDaniel, linebacker for the 1966 Miami Dolphins, wearing “Wahoo” on the back of his jersey

Ken Harrelson Hawk 1969 Indians — Ken Harrelson wears “Hawk” on the back of his 1969 Cleveland Indians jersey

Catfish Wampum Oakland As 1970s — Many Oakland A’s players wore nicknames in the 70s, here’s Jim Hunter with “Catfish” and Dick Allen’s “Wampum”

Pistol Pete Maravich New Orleans Jazz — Pete Maravich wore “Pistol” on the back of his late 1970s New Orleans Jazz uniform

J Bird, Cannon, and Channel - 1976 Atlanta Braves — The 1976 Atlanta Braves featured Jerry “J Bird” Royster, Jim “Cannon” Wynn, and Andy “Channel” Messersmith among others… of course “Channel 17” was just a disguised ad for Braves owner Ted Turner’s tv station, MLB put a stop to that one pretty fast

Boo Johnnie LeMaster San Francisco Giants 1979 — Johnnie LeMaster, fed up with being booed by his own fans, wore “Boo” on the back of his San Francisco Giants jersey for one game in 1979

Rod Smart He Hate Me Las Vegas Outlaws 2001 XFL — Rod Smart wears his famous/infamous “He Hate Me” jersey for the XFL’s Las Vegas Outlaws in 2001

I don’t find myself as opposed to this idea as I thought I would be when I first read the news, it’s just for one game and players are more commonly known by their nicknames in the NBA than their last names anyways… How do you feel about this? Share your thoughts in the comments.