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A Wizards rookie has legally changed his name, so update your records

Sheldon Mac, then McClellan, catches a pass. (AP)
Sheldon Mac, then McClellan, catches a pass. (AP)

The week before the trade deadline brings big news for many players, who often have to change cities in a matter of hours. For one rookie, though, that sort of major career event would pale in comparison to what he chose to do with his time off.

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Washington Wizards rookie guard Sheldon McClellan, undrafted out of the University of Miami this season, takes his last name from a father with whom he has no relationship. He’s apparently been planning to change his name for some time, and he went through with it this week. From Chase Hughes for CSN Mid-Atlantic:

Yes, the player formally known as Sheldon McClellan is now officially Sheldon Mac. The 24-year-old returned to Houston, Texas over the past week and, with the blessing of his mother, changed his name.

Mac expects to have his jersey changed at some point and he will now be referred to in print as ‘Sheldon Mac.’ He said the reason was because ‘McClellan’ was a name he got from his father, whom he has no relationship with.

Mac had thought about making the change for at least since last May when he left the University of Miami. He decided to hold off through the draft process in order to avoid confusion for scouts and prospective teams.

Mac said it shouldn’t be difficult for him to get used to it, as all of his friends already referred to him as Mac anyways.

Hughes adds that Mac decided against his mother’s name of “Johnson,” which makes sense if he’s already “Mac” to his friends. Unfortunately, he now has a name very similar to another NBA player — Shelvin Mack, a reserve guard for the Utah Jazz.

It is now up to us, the NBA’s fans and media members, to make sure we do not confuse the two. Anyone who lived through the confounding Jayson/Jason/Jay Williams days around the turn of the century knows that it’s a serious challenge. However, if we help and support each other, we can figure it out.

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Those around the Wizards will have it toughest, because Mack played in 71 games for the squad during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. For them, I propose a simple trick — Mack’s name has a “K,” which is a letter in “Ikea,” a store that sells shelves. Like Shelvin. Get it?

Look, don’t blame me, you try to come up with a better idea.

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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at efreeman_ysports@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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