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Jeremy Lin not sure Nick Young has earned ‘Swaggy P’ moniker yet

Lakers guard Jeremy Lin sprained his left ankle on Saturday in practice.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Nick Young’s nickname of “Swaggy P” has seemingly universal appeal, but new teammate Jeremy Lin isn’t sold yet.

“I call him Nick Young,” said Lin after practice on Friday. “He’s super cool, but I just find it ridiculous that everyone comes in here and just calls him Swaggy.

“You’ve got to earn it or something. And maybe he has, but I just got here. Maybe I’ll adopt it eventually.”

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General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Coach Byron Scott have both used the Swaggy moniker in recent press conference.

“I guess there just has to be something that I see -- that when I look at him he just glows with ‘swaggyness.’ I’m not there yet,” said Lin.

“No one calls me ‘Linsanity.’ No one calls [Kobe Bryant] the ‘Black Mamba,’” he continued. That’s why I think it’s ridiculous that people call him Swaggy P.”

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Both Young and Lin have helped lead the Lakers’ second unit in scrimmages against the starters.

Lin was clear that he no holds ill will toward his teammate. He said he would become a Swaggy P convert if it was important to Young.

“He’s hilarious. He’s really cool,” said Lin. “Just out of respect for him, eight years in, if he wants me to call him Swaggy P, I guess I will.”

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Young injured his right thumb in practice Thursday. The team held him out of practice on Friday, sending him instead to get an MRI exam.

The team expects to have the results late on Friday.

Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.

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