Every time fans at Staples Center chant his name, or “We want Swag-gy,” Nick Young motions for them to quiet down. He has dubbed himself the Most Hated Player, after all.
“You know [now] I’m most loved,” Young said. “The hate is what made them love me in the end. You go through ups and downs.”
Those ups and downs are what caused Young initially to name his clothing line Most Hated Player (it’s now simply called Most Hated). It was an effort to embrace the ire directed toward him last summer — a time when he didn’t know whether he’d still be in the NBA, during which his engagement dissolved, and when he refocused himself on trying to extend his career.