The Portland Trail Blazers’ four-game winning streak was snapped by the Boston Celtics Sunday at home, but the 129-116 loss still produced a light-hearted moment at the postgame podium with Portland forward Toumani Camara.
Camara’s stout, physical defense this season has inspired NBA All-Defensive hype for the 6-foot-7 forward from Belgium in just his second pro season. The scrap, heart and hustle have also made Camara a fan favorite in Rip City, especially considering his underdog story as the No. 52 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
With that signature defense and fan adoration, a plethora of nicknames have been tossed up trying to encapsulate Camara’s identity (I’ve seen a number of examples in our Blazer’s Edge comment sections this season, my favorite being “Star Killer.”). But none of the nicknames have truly stuck yet like “The Natural” did for Brandon Roy or “The Glide” did for Clyde Drexler.
So after Camara finished discussing Portland’s game against Boston Sunday, one reporter brought up the topic with Camara himself. The reporter mentioned his favorite nickname for Camara is “The Belgian Tarantula” — which provoked a startled look from Camara at the podium — before asking if Camara had a favorite nickname (you can watch the interaction at the 2:43 mark of the video below).
“I never heard that one,” said Camara, referring to the spider-inspired nickname. “I’m not a big fan of it, but if you like it, that’s you. Toumani is a great name. I like that one. But more seriously, I don’t really care. I don’t really have anything to say about that one but, nah, I appreciate you though.”
I had also never heard of the Belgian Tarantula nickname — although I don’t doubt that it has popped up somewhere on the internet (also, would it be spelled Tou-Rantula, for maximum pun effect?). Even though Camara hadn’t heard the nickname, the question produced a nice human moment that showcased the 24-year-old’s personality as he showed distaste for the name and then brushed off the question with politeness.
We will take the postgame moment as a chance to address the Toumani nickname question formally with our readers and ask you all in the comments to drop your favorite nicknames for the second-year forward. According to Camara, you’ve got to bring something better to the table than the Belgian Tarantula.