From ‘Cream Abdul-Jabbar’ to ‘Larry Nerd’, Lakers’ Robbie Avila ranks nicknames

LAS VEGAS — Robbie Avila has heard the chants.

He heard the fans inside of Thomas & Mack Center shouting “We Want Rob-bie!” during the second half of the Lakers’ summer league game on Friday against the Thunder.

The same scene repeated itself during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game against the Mavericks, with fans booing anytime a Lakers player who wasn’t Avila subbed into the game. 

It got to the point where even the PA announcer for the Lakers-Mavericks game got in on the chants, saying “saying it louder” while the fans made it clear they wanted to see the 2026 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year showcase his unique skillset on the court. 

“It’s pretty cool to hear the fans cheer my name,” Avila told the California Post. “It’s a little bit of motivation because right now I’m not on the court and so it’s gonna continue to make me strive to be better so that I am out there so I can give them what they want to see. But it’s awesome to hear them chant.”

The Lakers played their third Las Vegas Summer League game, and sixth summer league game over the last 12 days, on Tuesday night against the Clippers.

And with two more summer league games left after Tuesday, Avila is hopeful he’ll get more playing opportunities than he had entering Tuesday. 

Avila played in just one of the Lakers’ five summer league games entering Tuesday.

He started in their win over the Spurs on July 6 during the California Classic, finishing with 2 points (1-of-6 shooting), 2 assists and 1 rebound in 14 minutes. 

“Just to continue to learn,” Avila told the Post on what he’s hoping for the rest of the week. “Hopefully [I’ll] be able to maybe get an opportunity to play. If not, then be the best teammate I can.”

Fans wanting to see Avila play isn’t surprising. 

Despite going undrafted, he was one of the more popular players in the 2026 class.

The fact fans know his name is more surprising considering the laundry list of nicknames he accumulated while in college.  

“I think some people don’t even know my real name at this point,” Avila told the Post. 

Avila’s most popular and widely-known nickname? 

Cream Abdul-Jabbar — a nickname popularized by Kentucky Sports radio host Matt Jones in 2024 while Avila, who wears protective goggles like NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was playing at Indiana State before he transferred to Saint Louis for his junior and senior seasons. 

“It’s one of the most unique nicknames I think I’ve ever seen,” Avila told the Post. 

But Avila’s personal favorite nickname is Rob Wave, which is a play on rapper Rod Wave, who is Avila’s favorite music artist. 

“They think it’s just funny,” Avila told the Post on what his family and friends think about his nicknames. “They think it’s awesome. Obviously whenever something new comes out or when somebody uses it in a video, they like to send it to me. And so that’s why I enjoy them too. Just to see everybody around me have fun with it.” 

Larry Nerd, a play off of NBA icon and Indiana State legend Larry Bird, is the nickname Avila doesn’t get enough love. 

“The Larry Nerd one’s kind of gone down a lot more not being at Indiana State anymore,” Avila told the Post. “But when that one came out, that was obviously one of the most creative ones as well.”

Avila discussed some of his nicknames with the California Post, including ranking them by tiers (S tier, A tier, B tier, C tier, D tier and F tier)

Cream Abdul-Jabbar

Avila: “I think out of creativity, you got to put that at the S tier. If I were to rank it myself, I’d put it at A.”

He added: “I wouldn’t say it’s my least favorite. Obviously, Cream’s been used [for] so long. It’s the most used one. I’m trying to get that away from that one. That’s why I’m pushing Rob Wave.”

Larry Nerd

Avila: “Larry Nerd is an A tier. That was a good one to tie in with Indiana State.” 

College Jokic

Avila: “That one obviously being tied to [Nikola] Jokic is just pretty cool. But as far as creativity, it’s not the highest, so I’d probably put it a B tier.”

Larry Blurr

Avila: “Larry Blurr I think is a B tier as well.” 

Rob Wave

Avila: “Rob Wave [is] S tier, no joke.”

Milk Chamberlain

Avila: “Milk Chamberlain I think is also an S tier one, the creativity with that as well.”

Steph Blurry

Avila: “Steph Blurry I think, let’s go C tier.”

Shaquille Oatmeal

Avila: “That one’s another creativity one, but me personally, we’ll put it at the C tier.”

SLU Alcindor

Avila: “SLU Alcindor, when I went to [Saint Louis] was pretty good. I’ll put that as an A tier one too.”

LeBron Frames

Avila: “That’s another good one. I put that at B.”

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