The NBA is a business, and every year, it doesn’t hesitate to try something new and bold to see what various business opportunities may be out there. They’ve tried working in ideas like microfiber composite balls, sleeved jerseys to labeling team names in Spanish on certain nights. Some have worked and others, like the non-leather ball, have not.
The newest idea heading into the upcoming season is to sell the nicknames of certain players, and the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets may partake in this experiment. ESPN has details:
So long, James, Allen, Pierce and Garnett.
King James, Jesus Shuttlesworth, The Truth and KG might be headed to the backs of NBA jerseys.
Some members of the Miami Heat have been told the NBA is considering having them and the Brooklyn Nets wear “nickname jerseys” in at least one of their four matchups this season. The NBA has not announced the plan, but teams apparently have been aware of the likelihood of it happening for at least several weeks.
Not surprisingly, Allen, who has one of the cooler nicknames in all of basketball, endorsed the idea:
“It shows growth in our league and it shows we do adapt to what’s going on around us,” said Ray Allen, the Heat guard who plans to wear “Shuttlesworth” on his jersey, a nod to his character from the film “He Got Game.” “And we’re still kids, playing a kids’ game. Even though we’re now men playing a kids’ game, we still remember where we come from. Everybody had a nickname, and it’s a way to let the fans in a little bit more.”
Others, like Shane Battier and Steve Kerr, weren’t as fond of the plan:
………….. RT @JoeGoodmanJr: Get your very own @ShaneBattier “Horsetranaut” jersey on sale soon…
— Shane Battier (@ShaneBattier) September 24, 2013
Sums up my feelings towards this latest marketing campaign.
— Shane Battier (@ShaneBattier) September 24, 2013
The NBA has had a lot of good ideas over the years – this is not one of them.NBA eyes nickname jerseys for Heat, Nets http://t.co/WiIpVqP0WX
— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerrTNT) September 24, 2013
Why so much hate? It is an interesting idea for some of the players to express themselves in their own way. It would be fun to see nicknames like “The Baby-faced Assassin” for Stephen Curry, “Birdman” for Chris Anderson, “Caveman” for Chris Kaman, “Balding Eagle” for insert balding player, “The Big Fundamental” for Tim Duncan, “Durantula” for Kevin Durant, or perhaps best of all, the long-awaited “Matrix” for Shawn Marion. What do you think of the idea?
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.
The entire idea blows. Although, I have to admit that I would have approved of a Shaq Cleveland Cavaliers jersey which said, “The Big Fatass.”
lol. See? Players could have a nice sense of humor about it and do something creative and fun with it.