Kristaps Porzingis Has Bad Opinions About His Own Nickname

Remember when Kevin Durant tried to give himself the nickname, “The Servant?” That is a garbage nickname for a host of reasons, and thankfully nobody uses it. The first—and only, really—rule of nicknames is that you’re not allowed to give yourself one. The only time your input on your nickname is appreciated is when you let it be known that you hate it ... which only increases the chance people use it.

Nicknames are bestowed, not chosen.

On that note, Basketball Insiders reporter Tommy Beer tweeted about a conversation he had with Kristaps Porzingis about his nickname, or lack thereof:

I asked Porzingis about his nickname(s) and how we need something definitive. He confirmed he did not like “Zinger.” He sorta shrugged/blushed when I told him fans were referring to him as “PorzinGOD” or “GodZingis.” He said there wasn’t one he preferred/loved, but that he liked the simple “KP” or “KP6” the best of the bunch.

Porzingis deserves a nickname worthy of his play. He’s the first genuinely exciting young player the Knicks have drafted in forever, and his name is ripe for playing off of. I’m not a fan of PorzinGod or GodZingis—they’re a bit too tongue-in-cheek, and I can’t imagine anyone ever actually shouting them out in exclamation when he put-back dunks on some fool—but KP and KP6 are much worse. AK47 is the only good initials-and-number nickname, and the format has long been played out. Zinger is also very bad.

So I guess the question is, what should Porzingis’s nickname be?

Photo via Getty

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