Former Sixers Forward Given New Nickname by All-Star Guard

Former Sixers forward seems to be fitting in with his new team.

sFeb 23, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang (20) greets Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) after the game at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Over the past few years, the Philadelphia 76ers have brought in countless players to fill in the surrounding cast around Joel Embiid. Among those to put up some of the best numbers of his career with the was sharpshooting forward Georges Niang. Along with moving on to a new team, the veteran has also been granted a new nickname.

Aside from having a productive tenure with the Sixers, Niang became a bit of a fan favorite due to the intensity he plays the game with. Many also came to love his nickname, "the minivan." Niang first received the nickname in college, and it followed him to the NBA.

Following the 2023 season, Niang made the decision to depart from the Sixers for the Cleveland Cavaliers in free agency. In his time there, one of his teammates decided it was time to upgrade his nickname. While appearing on FanDuel TV's Run It Back show, All-Star guard Darius Garland opened up on how the team calls Niang "G Wagon" now.

"We definitely call him G Wagon," Garland said. "Especially when he's making some shots, he moving his puppies on defense. You got to give him some credit, you not just going to call him minivan no more."

"I changed it from 'Minivan' to 'G-Wagon'...there's no way you call that man 'Minivan.'" 😂@dariusgarland22 had to look out for @GeorgesNiang20 by upgrading his nickname 🤝

📺 https://t.co/JlZRXpnaQX@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/tPvVCJ3b56

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 23, 2025

Similar to his time with the Sixers, Niang has provided a boost for the Cavs off the bench with his outside shooting. Through 43 games this season, he is averaging 8.5 PPG and 3.8 RPG while knocking down 39.1% of his shots from beyond the arc.

Now with the Cavaliers, Niang finds himself on one of the top teams in the NBA this season. They currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, and are tied with the OKC Thunder for the league's best record at 36-7.