WASHINGTON (TND) — Jamaal Williams, running back for the Detroit Lions, turned some heads on Sunday when he gave an unorthodox player introduction.
Typically, player introductions involve professional football players stating their name, position and the collegiate team they played for. Williams went a different route.
Swag Kazekage," Williams called himself in the player introduction. "Leader of the Hidden Village of the Den."For those unaware, Williams is making a reference to the incredibly popular manga and anime "Naruto," which focuses on a world of ninjas who have supernatural powers and abilities.
Williams even went the extra mile to wear a custom-made Naruto headband with the Lions logo on it.
In "Naruto," the main characters live in a village called "Kohonagakure," which means the "Village of the Hidden Leaf." There are several other "hidden villages" where other characters in the Naruto universe reside, and Williams is referencing one of them by naming himself using the title of its leader.
Leaders of the "Village of the Hidden Sand" are called "Kazekage," which literally means "wind shadow." Willaims puts his own unique spin on the title by adding the slang term "Swag," which means "stylish confidence," according to Merriam-Webster.
As for Williams claiming to be the leader of the "Hidden Villiage of the Den," he's splicing in the Lions' oft-used "Lion's Den" monicker into his "Swag Kazekage" persona.
While some were left confused by Williams's unique player introduction, many fans, including fans of anime and Naruto, took notice in a very positive way.
I’m dead. This is hilarious," sports reporter Michael Leach said in a tweet. "Go Lions, you guys have been fun to watch."I’m curious how many ppl understand the reference by Jamaal Williams," fantasy football content creator Troy King wondered in his tweet. "[Shoutouts] to my anime/ naruto people."Sports Illustrated's Michael Fabiano called Williams "quite the character" in his tweet, and fantasy football analyst Lauren Carpenter tweeted that "way more people need to be like [Williams]."
Williams was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2021, but was since traded to the Detroit Lions. Williams and the Lions defeated the Packers on Sunday, knocking Green Bay out of the playoffs.
The veteran running back scored two touchdowns on Sunday, which put his seasonal total at 16, one more than Barry Sanders. That made Williams the new record holder for most touchdowns scored in a single season by a Lions player.
Leading up to the Packers game, Williams won over the hearts of many video game enthusiasts when he took time to make sure reporters knew how to pronounce "Pokémon" correctly.
Jamaal Williams is a personal hero of mine," said one user on Reddit's /r/NFL forum in a post celebrating Williams's breaking of Sanders's record.All hail Lord Kazekage," said another Reddit user in reply.ncG1vNJzZmihlJa1sLrEsKpnm5%2BifK%2Bx1qxmqJ6Wl7KiwI6fmKerXaG8t7GMp52lZaOprrO%2FjJqloqWVYravv8%2BiqZ6cXaW5osXEq2SipqSnvKXBwq2gqKZdlsBuv9aanmajka%2ByrK3GnmSnmaKqwbB5zaKlo5ldnbKisMGapZ1lmpa6oq3LZq6ipJyerq6%2FjKaYp5%2BRYrOwu9ObmKWk