Jets RB Bam Knight’s nickname comes from unexpected source

In a Wednesday presser, Jets rookie RB Zonovan Knight explained how he came to be called Bam, and it's not football-related.

Rivka Boord

12/07/2022

Zonovan Knight, New York Jets, Getty Images

Knight has performed well enough to make his background interesting to reporters

Imagine I told you that there was an NFL offensive player whose nickname is “Bam.” Then I asked you where said player’s nickname comes from.

You’d likely think the answer would be related to said player’s power and punishment, probably a running back, tight end, or offensive lineman.

Well, in this case, “Bam” is a running back, but Zonovan Knight‘s nickname has nothing to do with his playing the position.

Knight was asked about the origin of the name, and he gave this answer in his characteristic upbeat tone.

#Jets rookie RB Zonovan Knight explains how he got the nickname “Bam” as a child – and how it stuck: pic.twitter.com/yjtNhGgHq8

— Dennis Waszak Jr. (@DWAZ73) December 7, 2022

“So the way my mom explained it is, the playpen that you put babies in, so I was in that and beating on all the toys. My uncle walked by and said, ‘All you hear is bam! Bam! Bam!’ … it was easier to pronounce than Zonovan so people started calling me Bam.”

The undrafted free agent has certainly made good on his nickname through two weeks, even if that wasn’t its original meaning. Knight is trucking defenders and making them miss at an elite level through two games.

If Bam keeps this up, the Jets can imagine a one-two punch of Breece and Bam in the backfield next season. For now, as Robert Saleh said today, Bam “isn’t going anywhere” despite the return of Michael Carter.

Let the Bam Bam continue.