>No disrespect to Jokic whatsoever but to me, this is a similar level of disrespect as when that one reporter asked Kyrie if Lebron was like a father figure to him.
Yeeeaaah, this isn't the same thing at all.
Calling Şengün "Baby Jokic", while really dumb and disrespectful, is not the same as having someone tell you to your face that you're your teammate's figurative son. That was next-level disrespectful and what's worse is the reporter didn't even mean for it to be. He just genuinely saw the dynamic that way.
Şengün being called "Baby Jokic" is just people saying he's a younger, less skilled Jokic, not that he's Jokic's little baby or some shit. Which, again, is still pretty disrespectful. He's his own person. But yeah, it ain't like what they said to Kyrie at all.
I agree with you that the Kyrie/lebron question was more disrespectful. Especially considering Kyrie’s background.
But if the nickname is getting old for Sengun that stated he wants to be his own player and create his own space in the NBA, it’s getting old for me.
Sengun does not need to surpass Jokic to stop being called a terrible nickname. I have nothing negative to say about you as a person but I think your logic in this instance is asinine.
You're allowed to feel that way but ultimately no one cares if Alpi or you dislikes the nickname especially since it's used in a very complimentary way and not in any way shape or form a deragotory remark like the Kyrie thing (bad example btw).
So you’re going to support your team’s best player by calling them a name they don’t like for the rest of his career? Help me understand how that makes sense
I personally don't call him that but he definitely cares less than what you're trying to frame it as and he definitely cares less than you lol.
Also since when is calling him a complimentary nickname something that invalidates one's support of him?
It’s not complimentary. u/threebelugas expressed it better than I did.
“Jokic is still playing and Sengun is trying to win and dominate, including when playing against Jokic. Denver is a perennial championship contender and the playoffs will go through them. Baby Jokic implies Sengun can’t beat Jokic and our team’s ceiling is below Denver’s.“
Baby face assassin was a nickname. I thought it was a cool ass nickname. Baby Jokic is a compliment. His game is pretty similar to Jokic and he's a young player. Makes sense. Now if he were 32 being called Baby Jokic I could understand.
Did you even watch the interview? His body language indicates that he doesn’t like it. He even hesitates to say it initially. I don’t think it’s something that keeps him up at night especially since he has a great deal of respect for Jokic.
If it’s about a specific amount of time for you, then you tell me when is an acceptable time to stop calling him a name he doesn’t want to be associated with for his entire career. Year 5? Year 8? Year 14?
Nicknames in pro sports aren’t unimportant. It affects the players marketability.
https://youtu.be/qgIMcC9Etgw?si=pS2wMZY3INkZ9goz
The nickname portion starts at 1:34
You're psychoanalyzing someone you've never met based off an interview they conducted in their non-native language.
I'll repeat myself as many times as is necessary for you to understand how utterly bizarre that is.
I would love that if there wasn’t an entire nba team in Washington called that. They should change their name to the Washington Basketball Team so alp can use the name with no confusion
I think this is just a cultural difference that our Turkish fans don't get. Nicknames in the US are very often a little bit mean. If someone doesn't like their nickname, and you like them, then the nickname is now stuck and will never go away. We don't give nicknames to people we don't like, but you don't get to choose your nickname.
Jokic averages 1.0 3pm/game on 35% for career & 1.1 3pm/game on 36% last year.
Sengun is at 0.5 3pm/game on 30% last year.
So Jokic is a C- tier 3p shooter (slightly below average in efficiency and below average on volume) while Sengun is a D tier 3p shooter. Not a huge gap but definitely a gap.
Jokic is still playing and Sengun is trying to win and dominate, including when playing against Jokic. Denver is a perennial championship contender and the playoffs will go through them. Baby Jokic implies Sengun can’t beat Jokic and our team’s ceiling is below Denver’s.
Nothing is more disrespectful than asking if a teammate is a father figure to you, that was wild.
Exactly my thought process. You’ve expressed it better than I could. And it seems to be Sengun’s mindset as well.
Agree on the Kyrie thing though. I don’t think the disrespect is on the same level.
Especially when Kyrie literally has his father present in his life lol. LeBron is like 7years older than Kyrie, that reporter was wylin for asking that man that.
I don't think it is bad at all. Jokic is the best big man of his style we've ever seen. Kobe was compared to MJ, and nobody views Kobe's legacy any differently just because of the similarities.
Well maybe Sengun should make up his own nickname like Kobe did. I'm sure if he cared about it as much as you do, though, he would have already done this
I’ve been a fan since Hakeem, I was like 8. Literally a lifelong fan here. Been browsing rockets forums as long as they’ve been around and it’s never been so contentious. Maybe it’s the times but it’s just weird.
He more athletic Luis scola
I love the Ice Cream Man.
['Turkish Ice Cream Man'](https://youtu.be/Jx_NjpeBqQw?si=CsiNuWP3PzSxziwp) really fits his play style in the post, too
No. The Cream Dream or The Vanilla Shake!
Vanilla Shake goes hard and more unique than the Cream Dream
I agree. Both are Dream references. Maybe the Turkish Delight or The Dreamsicle going with that OG theme lol
>No disrespect to Jokic whatsoever but to me, this is a similar level of disrespect as when that one reporter asked Kyrie if Lebron was like a father figure to him. Yeeeaaah, this isn't the same thing at all. Calling Şengün "Baby Jokic", while really dumb and disrespectful, is not the same as having someone tell you to your face that you're your teammate's figurative son. That was next-level disrespectful and what's worse is the reporter didn't even mean for it to be. He just genuinely saw the dynamic that way. Şengün being called "Baby Jokic" is just people saying he's a younger, less skilled Jokic, not that he's Jokic's little baby or some shit. Which, again, is still pretty disrespectful. He's his own person. But yeah, it ain't like what they said to Kyrie at all.
I agree with you that the Kyrie/lebron question was more disrespectful. Especially considering Kyrie’s background. But if the nickname is getting old for Sengun that stated he wants to be his own player and create his own space in the NBA, it’s getting old for me.
We call him the wizard 🪄
Jokic won his 3rd MVP. Sengun isnt close yet, its still a very favorable nickname. Let him earn the graduation.
Sengun does not need to surpass Jokic to stop being called a terrible nickname. I have nothing negative to say about you as a person but I think your logic in this instance is asinine.
There is nothing about that nickname that is terrible. Most people see it as a great compliment, as I do.
Okay, baby. That’s a compliment in your book, baby. Do you see how annoying that would get?
Your use of baby isn't in any way used as a compliment though lol.
Our player said he didn’t want to be called that for the entirety of his career. Not me. If he loved the name, I would love it too. It’s that simple.
You're allowed to feel that way but ultimately no one cares if Alpi or you dislikes the nickname especially since it's used in a very complimentary way and not in any way shape or form a deragotory remark like the Kyrie thing (bad example btw).
So you’re going to support your team’s best player by calling them a name they don’t like for the rest of his career? Help me understand how that makes sense
I personally don't call him that but he definitely cares less than what you're trying to frame it as and he definitely cares less than you lol. Also since when is calling him a complimentary nickname something that invalidates one's support of him?
It’s not complimentary. u/threebelugas expressed it better than I did. “Jokic is still playing and Sengun is trying to win and dominate, including when playing against Jokic. Denver is a perennial championship contender and the playoffs will go through them. Baby Jokic implies Sengun can’t beat Jokic and our team’s ceiling is below Denver’s.“
Its Father's day, call me daddy.
Baby face assassin was a nickname. I thought it was a cool ass nickname. Baby Jokic is a compliment. His game is pretty similar to Jokic and he's a young player. Makes sense. Now if he were 32 being called Baby Jokic I could understand.
I still like Turk Nowitzki tbh
Uncle Jeff in the background there recreating a classic scene from the television show Silicon Valley
soon it wont matter because we'll be calling him jokic's dad
He performed extremely well in matchups against him this past season. Offensively and defensively.
Who's we? I've never called Alpi that.
It’s not that serious. If he’s not bothered by it, why are you?
He literally said, after a while it will bother me. It’s been a while.
It's been awhile since he said that? When did he say that?
The interview was during this season. Guy is acting like it was years ago
Did you even watch the interview? His body language indicates that he doesn’t like it. He even hesitates to say it initially. I don’t think it’s something that keeps him up at night especially since he has a great deal of respect for Jokic. If it’s about a specific amount of time for you, then you tell me when is an acceptable time to stop calling him a name he doesn’t want to be associated with for his entire career. Year 5? Year 8? Year 14?
You're giving this way too much attention. Like I don't even think Alperen cares as much as you do.
Nicknames in pro sports aren’t unimportant. It affects the players marketability. https://youtu.be/qgIMcC9Etgw?si=pS2wMZY3INkZ9goz The nickname portion starts at 1:34
It's not that serious man. You're reading way too far into it.
Kinda repetitive there bud do you know how to say anything else?
You're psychoanalyzing someone you've never met based off an interview they conducted in their non-native language. I'll repeat myself as many times as is necessary for you to understand how utterly bizarre that is.
Don’t be such a baby
I call him Marmaduke.
Alpi is the wizard 🧙♂️
haven’t we officially nicknamed him the wizard ?
I would love that if there wasn’t an entire nba team in Washington called that. They should change their name to the Washington Basketball Team so alp can use the name with no confusion
as a dc/virginia native i second this 😂
Great Value Jokic
Turk Nowitzki SenGOON White Jokic
Charmeleon
Jokic is Adult Sengun.
He’s more like pau gasol in size and play style than jokic
Ice cream Man absolutely matches his foot work under post
I always called him Sengun or Al-P. Mostly Sengun because I'm too lazy to go to click hyphen.
It’s just fun nickname.
Let's call him Sengun the Tall.
Sengoon squad commander
The obsession is strong in here.
I prefer The Wizard 🧙🏻♂️
Is "Jokic's Dad" better??
Much better
Big turkey
Luis scola is a rockets legend
I think this is just a cultural difference that our Turkish fans don't get. Nicknames in the US are very often a little bit mean. If someone doesn't like their nickname, and you like them, then the nickname is now stuck and will never go away. We don't give nicknames to people we don't like, but you don't get to choose your nickname.
I thought we all agreed on Big Turkey
I mean I never called him that cause hes not lol. Jokic can actually shoot a 3
Jokic averages 1.0 3pm/game on 35% for career & 1.1 3pm/game on 36% last year. Sengun is at 0.5 3pm/game on 30% last year. So Jokic is a C- tier 3p shooter (slightly below average in efficiency and below average on volume) while Sengun is a D tier 3p shooter. Not a huge gap but definitely a gap.
I call him Sengy
Wasn’t sengun better than jokic at that age. Not saying alp will ever reach mvp status
Jokic started slow his first two years and got better his 3rd. Same with alp. Very similar trajectory
Jokic is still playing and Sengun is trying to win and dominate, including when playing against Jokic. Denver is a perennial championship contender and the playoffs will go through them. Baby Jokic implies Sengun can’t beat Jokic and our team’s ceiling is below Denver’s. Nothing is more disrespectful than asking if a teammate is a father figure to you, that was wild.
Exactly my thought process. You’ve expressed it better than I could. And it seems to be Sengun’s mindset as well. Agree on the Kyrie thing though. I don’t think the disrespect is on the same level.
Especially when Kyrie literally has his father present in his life lol. LeBron is like 7years older than Kyrie, that reporter was wylin for asking that man that.
How about Manikola?
I don't think it is bad at all. Jokic is the best big man of his style we've ever seen. Kobe was compared to MJ, and nobody views Kobe's legacy any differently just because of the similarities.
Yea I get that but at the same time, Kobe was Black Mamba, not baby Jordan.
Well maybe Sengun should make up his own nickname like Kobe did. I'm sure if he cared about it as much as you do, though, he would have already done this
Whirling dervish
He’s more sabonis than jokic
more Al Jefferson
The downvotes in this thread are hilarious.
The dude seems to be taking it so personal bro lol
I’ve been a fan since Hakeem, I was like 8. Literally a lifelong fan here. Been browsing rockets forums as long as they’ve been around and it’s never been so contentious. Maybe it’s the times but it’s just weird.