'King James' on the Court? Miami Heat Considering Using Nicknames on Jerseys

Some members of the Miami Heat have been told the NBA is considering having them and the Brooklyn Nets wear "nickname jerseys" in at least one of their four matchups this season. The NBA has not announced the plan, but teams apparently have been aware of the likelihood of it happening for at least several weeks.

"It shows growth in our league and it shows we do adapt to what's going on around us," said Allen, the Heat guard who plans to wear Shuttlesworth on his jersey, a nod to his character from the "He Got Game" film. "And we're still kids, playing a kids' game. Even though we're now men playing a kids' game, we still remember where we come from. Everybody had a nickname and it's a way to let the fans in a little bit more."

Players were asked to submit what names they would want on the jerseys.

So what would be the most likely nicknames?

Well, a few are obvious.

King James. You know who would wear it.

Birdman for Chris Andersen.

JJ for James Jones.

CB for Chris Bosh.

Rio for Mario Chalmers.

Cole Train for Norris Cole.

The choices get a little more complicated for Joel Anthony, Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade.

Fans have called Anthony "The Warden" for his shot-blocking prowess, but he prefers "Doc" for reasons not entirely understood.

Allen has often assumed the identity of the character he played in He Got Game, but "Jesus" might be a bit presumptuous. So maybe just "Shuttlesworth"?

And Wade?

The Heat guard has had numerous nicknames, publicly discarding "Flash" three years ago, and recently anointing himself "W.O.W" (for Way of Wade) and "3" (for his number of championships).

Brooklyn forward Paul Pierce has been called "The Truth" for many years, and fellow new Nets forward Kevin Garnett has long been known by his initials.

The Heat and Nets are among the preseason favorites in the Eastern Conference, which Miami has won in each of the past three seasons.

Miami forward Shane Battier — who wasn't exactly thrilled about the nickname idea — said he wanted to wear "Batman" on his jersey, though was told that Warner Brothers holds the rights to that name, and other players have also had to deal with copyright-related issues with their suggested monikers. Battier said he'll go with "Shaneo" instead.

"Fans will like it and so will a lot of the players," Allen said. "Guys will get a good kick out of it."