There has been a recent trend over the last few months in the NBA. Amidst an alarming lack of "cool" NBA nicknames, fans have took it upon themselves to give their favorite superstars some unique monikers. From Jayson Tatum being "The Anomaly" to Jalen Green being "The Ad Hominem Fallacy", there's a new generation of NBA players being branded with absurd nicknames.
Even lesser-known players are being given nicknames by their teammates. Washington Wizards rookie Colby Jones is being called "Chick-Fil-A" by his teammates. Is it because he "cooks" his defenders on the court?
Well... not quite. Jones revealed after their loss to the Brooklyn Nets that he was given that nickname due to his missed free-throws that gave an opposing team's fans free Chick-Fil-A, per Chase Hughes.
"Because I sold when we played Philadelphia," Jones said. "It was two free throws, actually four straight, and I think I fed the whole of Philadelphia that night."
Well, at least he has a sense of humor about it. Teams often have promotions involving their opponents hitting a certain milestone during games. Perhaps the most famous recent campaign was Wingstop's campaign of five free wings after a Detroit Pistons win... right before the team's historic 28-game losing skid. In this case for the 76ers, they had a promotion where fans would get free chicken if a Wizards player missed free throws.
Jones, a second-year guard drafted in the second round last season, signed with the Wizards late in the 2024-25 season. In nine games with Washington, Jones is averaging 8.7 points on 55% shooting from the field in 20 minutes played per contest.
Related: Wizards Fans Were Fired Up About AJ Johnson's Electric 4th Quarter vs. Nets
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This story was originally published March 30, 2025 at 11:53 AM.