National Basketball Association

Glen 'Big Baby' Davis wants to drop nickname

Published Jan. 26, 2010 1:45 p.m. ET

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Boston Celtics forward Glen ``Big Baby'' Davis is looking to change his image. Step One: Drop the nickname.

Davis, who missed the start of the season following surgery for a broken thumb he sustained in a fight with a childhood friend, was recently fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language at a fan during a game against Detroit last Wednesday.

``I'm in the public eye. Kids look up to me. You just can't make those kind of statements,'' he said before Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. ``It (stinks) that you have to learn this way, how to keep your emotions intact. I know who I am as a person, and hopefully my fans know who I am as a person, that I am a good guy. I'm not a troublemaker or a fighter.''

Davis went on to say that he'd like to drop his `Big Baby' nickname. When asked what he'd like to use in place of it, a reporter suggested ``Uno. Uno.''

He smiled and agreed.

``No comment,'' Boston coach Dic Rivers said, when informed Davis no longer wanted to be called `Big Baby.''

Then asked if it was a sign Davis was ready to mature, Rivers said: ``That's a start, right? He's young. He's got to grow up in front of a lot of people.''

During the summer, Davis signed a contract that will pay his $6 million over the next two years.

He said he now understands what he needs to do and appreciated the Celtics' understanding this season.

``Sometimes, in the game of basketball, you kind of show your emotions in a different way, just like when you go to work and you get a staple in your hand or your boss is messing with you,'' he said. ``In my job, it's just a different experience. I'm a young guy who is trying to learn how to live life in this sport and adapt to this lifestyle. There are some tough bumps. The Celtics have done a great job of sticking with me and understanding.''

Davis, in his third season, is averaging 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Davis played a key role in Boston's playoffs last season with Kevin Garnett missing the entire postseason because of a knee injury. Davis hit a game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 4 of the second round against Orlando before the Celtics lost at home in the seventh game.

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