Exclusive | 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 i...