Andrew Wiggins isn’t exactly known for his boisterous nature. Aside from his wide, teeth-baring smile, Wiggins is very reserved and even-keeled. Apparently, that wasn’t always the case, or at least there’s more to Wiggins than meets the eye (or camera or microphone).
Back when he was just a wee Wiggins, the reigning Rookie of the Year apparently nicknamed himself “Mr. Fantastic.” It is not the most inventive nickname, and it’s not all that pompous, but for someone as laid-back as Wiggins, it’s like the equivalent of Juwan Howard saying the Fab Five are going to shock the world. We can also forgive Wiggins for the unimaginative nickname, given that he was ten years old at the time, that awful Fantastic Four movie had just come out and Wes Anderson had yet to stamp Roald Dahl’s classic with his unique bit of nostalgic claymation.
As of now, Wiggins doesn’t have a nickname. “Maple Jordan” hung around for a bit, but it hasn’t stuck. Maybe we’ll never come up with a fitting one. Maybe his game, though exciting, simply hasn’t inspired one yet. It’s hard, since we don’t know much about his personality, which is normally essential to a nickname. It’s not enough for it to be styled after a player’s game, it has to be styled after the person, as well. If we do come up with one, however, hopefully it won’t be “Mr. Fantastic.”
(BioSteel Sports and CBS Sports)
