Why is Philadelphia 76ers' Paul Reed called 'BBall Paul': All you need to know

During his rookie season in 2020, Paul Reed was just the new kid on the block trying to make a name for himself. The Philadelphia 76ers drafted him in the second round of the 2020 NBA draft. In his first season, the Sixers subbed him in whenever the team had a big lead or decided to wave the white flag. Reed barely saw any minutes and struggled to get recognized.

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How did Paul Reed become 'BBall Paul'?

There came a time when Paul Reed finally got some recognition from the NBA. In January 2021, half of the Sixers squad tested positive for COVID in New York and were asked to isolate themselves after arriving in Philly. They were scheduled to go up against the Denver Nuggets the following day who were fully healthy. The Sixers were shorthanded and had no choice but to roll with it.

Only seven healthy Sixers players were dressed for the matchup. Despite not having been on the team for a few months, Dakota Mathias began and played 41 minutes. Tyrese Maxey, a rookie guard at the time, profited from the freedom by scoring 39 points. While Paul Reed finished with a team-high +13 rating in 26 minutes with six points, seven rebounds, two assists, one block and a steal.

Reed played quality minutes that day and had Philadelphia's sports commentators paying close attention to his game. Reed gathered a missed Danny Green 3-point attempt in the first quarter and then beat Nikola Jokic with a hook shot. After scoring on Jokic, Sixers broadcaster Matt Cord referred to himself as "BBall Paul."

The Sixers big man later revealed that his nickname wasn't necessarily new. Apparently, "BBall Paul" was his alias back in middle school. It started when Reed decided to make the nickname his Instagram handle. Ever since the NBA started calling him that, he decided to stick with the username on social media. Reed had a feeling that he'd be called that eventually, but it still caught him by surprise.

“One of the dudes told me, ‘Is it OK if we call you that?’ Reed said. "And I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool, I don’t mind.’ When they say it now, I just expect it. I think it’s cool. When I got to college, a lot of my peers was calling me that, the girls for sure.”

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