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LeBron James has a nickname for Lakers' notorious bench crew: 'MUD'

LeBron James gave a nod to the rag-tag reputation of the Lakers’ bench unit with his new nickname for the crew. (Getty)
LeBron James gave a nod to the rag-tag reputation of the Lakers’ bench unit with his new nickname for the crew. (Getty)

Los Angeles Lakers offseason acquisitions not involving LeBron James drew mostly scrutiny and raised eyebrows this summer.

Lance Stephenson, Michael Beasley, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo are collectively better known for being knuckleheads than their positive contributions on the court.

Lance Stephenson asks for a nickname: LeBron obliges

It’s a crew begging for a nickname, a question Stephenson posed on Instagram Monday. He got an answer from James.

“MUD,” was James’ response. “Misunderstood, under-appreciated, determined.”

As far as nicknames go, well, that’s a nickname.

LeBron has a sense of humor

It’s surely a nod to the rag-tag reputation of the crew built in part from Stephenson’s notorious ear-blowing incident with James during the 2014 playoffs. It’s also a playful take from James looking to lift up the bench members of his supporting cast.

In what looks like a challenging season ahead for the Lakers in a Western Conference dominated by the Golden State Warriors, having a sense of humor about things seems the best approach for James.

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