The NBA has a long and colorful history when it comes to nicknames. There are a few ground rules, though. First and foremost, you can’t give yourself a nickname (See Kevin Durant’s ill-fated attempt to dub himself “The Servant,” of all things). Secondly, you can’t very well take someone else’s nickname.
Both LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges have both found themselves subject to the latter rule recently. “Melo” will, of course, always belong to Carmelo Anthony, and, at the very least until he’s out of the league any reference to a “Melo” will bring the future Hall of Famer to mind. As a solution, a combined nickname has been floated around that would take care of both of them, “AirBnB,” although Ball had something of a lukewarm reaction to that idea recently.
On Wednesday, the Hornets broadcast crew casually referred to Bridges as “Agent Zero,” a nod to his jersey number, but even Bridges himself quickly rebuffed on Twitter after the game with the understanding that it’s the sole property of Gilbert Arenas.
I agree Agent 0 off limits
— Miles Bridges (@MilesBridges) February 25, 2021
It’s not that Arenas couldn’t stand to relinquish this one. “Hibachi” is a pretty incredible consolation prize, but good luck convincing Arenas, and more importantly, NBA fans to part ways with it. In any case, it was a strange night for nicknames, in general, as Thaddeus Young found out about a “Thagic Johnson” moniker that’s apparently been floated.
Yall got to stop … I’m in tears
… https://t.co/fNAVdCn7VJ
— Thad Young (@yungsmoove21) February 25, 2021
For Bridges, it might be time to settle on “Sky Miles” once and for all, as it has all the makings of a solid memorable nickname, including the pun on his name and the reference to his aerial feats. He could certainly do a lot worse.