(Republished from February 13, 2014)
One of the bright spots of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season has been the player known as “Swaggy P”, Nick Young.
The 28-year-old joined the Lakers in the off-season and has quickly become one of the fan favorites at Staples Center. Many do not even refer to him by his real name anymore, choosing to use his moniker; however, the meaning of the nickname has never been revealed by Young.
According to Alex Shultz of SLAM Online, the Laker guard said that the “Swaggy” came from the compliments on his swag, but revealed little else:
The P is a mystery. I can’t give that secret out yet, Young says. It was one of my first nicknames, so nobody really knew about it and I just kept it a secret. People kept asking about it, so I started saying it’s a mystery. In a couple years I’ll give y’all something.
Young is currently out of commission with a fracture in his left knee and will be out at least one more week, possibly more. He was enjoying his best scoring season in his five-year NBA career, averaging just under 17 points per game.
Young has come off the bench in 39 of the 48 games he has played this year. Earlier this season, he embraced his role off the bench and announced his intention of winning the NBA’s Sixth-Man Award. Young was well on his way to being considered for the award before the injury.
The eccentric shooting guard is enjoying a homecoming this season, as he is from Los Angeles and grew up loving the Lakers, and idolizing Kobe Bryant.
Young will have the opportunity to return to the Lakers next season by exercising his player option, but could remain a Laker even longer if general manager Mitch Kupchak has his way,
If Young sticks around past next season, Laker fans may finally find out what the ‘P’ in “Swaggy P” stands for.