By James Jackson | The Athletic, 2026-03-29 11:00:07
无论提到哪项运动，几乎都不可避免地会引发关于“史上最佳 (GOAT)”的争论。
每一代人都会涌现出留下不可磨灭印记的运动员，足以跻身历史伟大之列。正是这些推测让体育充满了乐趣，哪怕这意味着要在最细微之处分出高下。
然而，无论大多数体育辩论有多深入，关于谁才是真正的“冰人 (Iceman)”几乎没有争议。
那就是奈史密斯篮球名人堂成员乔治·格文 (George Gervin)。
当然，如果凯莱布·威廉姆斯 (Caleb Williams) 如愿以偿，这在法律上可能会发生改变。这位芝加哥熊队的四分卫正试图为自己注册该绰号的商标，而这位年轻的战术指挥官已经向斯基普·贝勒斯 (Skip Bayless) 明确表示，他并不担心这可能引发的公众舆论反弹。
即便真的发生了，事情也不该是这样的。
这并不是因为威廉姆斯在 2025 年 NFL 赛季中没有听到过这个绰号——当时他在比赛末段的英雄表现帮助熊队赢得了 15 年来的首场季后赛胜利。也不是因为通过酷炫的绰号和品牌周边获利是不合适的。
如果威廉姆斯的商标申请获得通过，关于这个绰号的争论将更多地基于情怀而非其他。
但这种情怀并非没有先例。
自 1973 年在弗吉尼亚骑士队开启 ABA 生涯以来，格文就一直被称为“冰人”。据称，这个绰号是由他当时的队友罗兰·“胖子”·泰勒 (Roland “Fatty” Taylor) 起的，之后格文于 1974 年 1 月 31 日被交易至圣安东尼奥马刺队。
这位 12 次入选全明星、9 次入选年度最佳阵容 (All-NBA/ABA) 的球员在效力马刺的 11 个赛季中场均得分至少达到 20 分。他职业生涯四次获得 NBA 得分王，在联盟历史上仅次于威尔特·张伯伦 (Wilt Chamberlain) 和迈克尔·乔丹 (Michael Jordan)。他在圣安东尼奥拿下的 23,602 分在队史上也仅次于蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan)。
1978 年，耐克发布了那张标志性的“冰人”海报：格文坐在一把冰做的宝座上，两侧各放着一个冰冻的篮球。这依然是你所能见到的最“冷酷”的画面之一（并非双关语）。到 1979 年，随着篮球事业达到巅峰，格文开始将“冰人”绰号用于商品和服务。尽管看起来直到威廉姆斯提交申请四天后，他才向美国专利商标局尝试注册该商标。格文的管理层将这一延误归咎于一位商业伙伴的去世。
这是生意，但这种绰号在代际间传承的精神理应得到更好的对待。格文在过去的半个世纪里并不是自己在叫自己“冰人”，而是全世界的篮球迷和体育迷都公认他就是“冰人”。格文从未注册过该绰号的商标并不是威廉姆斯的错，但如果能看到他与格文合作，确保这位传奇得到应有的尊重，那将是一段佳话。
像格文这样曾经的伟大球员理应得到这份尊重。
格文在 NBA 的最后一个赛季曾与乔丹一起效力于芝加哥公牛队（出场机会不多），而“飞人”当时还采访过这位初代“冰人”，请教关于磨练投篮手感以及提前离开东密歇根大学投身职业篮坛的话题。
解决“冰人”之争不仅仅关乎未来谁能使用这个称呼，更关乎对体育文化的尊重。这种文化在耐克深厚的商业魔力宝库中占有一席之地。
如果商标裁决对威廉姆斯有利，难道就能抹杀格文在 1994 年那部标志性广告中，对着坐满篮球迷的理发店说出的那句“我有一项绝活，那就是挑篮 (finger roll)”吗？
在那之后的岁月里，格文理所当然地享受着篮球生涯带来的果实。他分别于 1996 年和 2021 年入选了 NBA 50 周年和 75 周年球星行列。几十年来，他还为贫困儿童开设了青少年中心，并作为 Big 3 篮球联赛 Ghost Ballers 队的主教练做出了贡献。
威廉姆斯或许拥有继续追求“冰人”商标的法律权利。但从文化角度来看，任何法律文件都无法掩盖格文数十年来建立的声望。
幸运的是，格文在与威廉姆斯关于绰号的争端中表现得非常大度。
“我对（威廉姆斯）充满敬意，”格文在周三表示，“他已经证明了自己的伟大，他的潜力巨大。就像‘冰人’一样。但那个名字已经有人用了。……”
“我只想说：小伙子，我们已经有一个‘冰人’了。”
也许这个世界容得下第二个“冰人”。也许可以有一个跨运动、跨时代的合作项目来化解任何潜在的隔阂。但如果不能承认格文才是那位最初的、长久以来的“冰人”，那总归是让人感觉不妥。
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：George Gervin-Caleb Williams 'Iceman' beef proves why it's key to respect legends
George Gervin-Caleb Williams ‘Iceman’ beef proves why it’s key to respect legends
Name the sport, and there is almost assuredly a handful of GOAT debates attached to it.
Every generation produces athletes who make indelible marks worthy of all-time great status. It’s what makes conjecture fun, even if it means splitting the finest of hairs.
Yet, no matter how in-depth most sports debates can get, there is very little argument about who the “Iceman” is.
That would be Naismith Hall of Famer George Gervin.
Of course, that could legally change if Caleb Williams has his way. The Chicago Bears quarterback is attempting to trademark the nickname for himself, and the young signal caller has already clarified to Skip Bayless that he isn’t concerned about the public blowback that might produce.
If that does happen, it shouldn’t be this way, though.
That’s not because Williams didn’t hear the nickname throughout the 2025 NFL season, when his late-game heroics helped lead the Bears to their first playoff victory in 15 years. It’s not because it’s inappropriate to capitalize on a cool moniker with branded merch.
If Williams’ trademark application goes through, arguments about the nickname would be based more on sentiment than anything else.
But that sentiment wouldn’t be without precedent.
Gervin has been known as the “Iceman” since his ABA debut for the Virginia Squires in 1973. Former Squires teammate Roland “Fatty” Taylor is credited with applying the nickname before Gervin was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 31, 1974.
The 12-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA/ABA selection averaged at least 20 points in 11 seasons with the Spurs. His four career NBA scoring titles trail only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan for the league record. And his 23,602 points with San Antonio trail only Tim Duncan for the franchise record.
In 1978, Nike released the iconic “Iceman” poster of Gervin sitting atop a throne of ice with two frozen spheres at his side. It remains one of the coldest images you’ll ever see (no pun intended). By 1979, as he reached the peak of his basketball powers, Gervin started attaching the “Iceman” nickname to goods and services. Though it appears he didn’t attempt to trademark the nickname with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office until four days after Williams submitted his application. Gervin’s management attributed the delay to the death of a business associate.
This is business, but the spirit of passing this nickname from one generation to the next deserves better. Gervin hasn’t spent the last half-century calling himself “Iceman.” He’s been recognized as such by basketball and sports fans around the world. It’s not Williams’ fault Gervin never trademarked the moniker, but it would be great to see him partner with Gervin to guarantee his legend remains respected.
Former greats like Gervin deserve that much.
Gervin spent his final NBA season playing (sparingly) alongside Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, and His Airness interviewed the original “Iceman” about developing his shooting touch and leaving Eastern Michigan early to pursue pro hoops.
Resolving the Iceman dispute isn’t just about who is called what in the future. It’s about respecting sports culture, one that holds its own space in Nike’s deep vault of commercial magic.
Would a trademark ruling in Williams’ favor undo Gervin telling a hoop-laden barbershop, “One thing I could do is finger roll,” in his iconic 1994 commercial?
In the years since, Gervin’s rightly basked in the fruits of his hoops labor. He was named to the NBA’s 50th- and 75th-Anniversary teams in 1996 and 2021, respectively. He’s also opened youth centers for underprivileged kids for decades and contributed to the Big 3 basketball league as the head coach of the Ghost Ballers.
Williams may have a legal right to continue pursuing the “Iceman” trademark. Culturally speaking, though, no amount of paperwork can obscure what Gervin spent decades developing.
Fortunately, Gervin has been diplomatic in his dispute with Williams over the nickname.
“I’ve got nothing but respect for (Williams),” Gervin said Wednesday. “He’s already proved greatness, and his potential upside is great. Like an ‘Iceman.’ But that name is taken. …
“All I’m saying is: Young fella, we’ve already got one ‘Iceman.’”
Maybe the world has room for a second. Maybe there could be a cross-sport, cross-generational project that squashes any perceived beef. But anything less than acknowledging Gervin as the original, longstanding “Iceman” would only feel wrong.
By James Jackson, via The Athletic