Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce recently shared the stories behind two of his childhood nicknames on the latest episode of “New Heights,” a podcast he co-hosts with his brother and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. During the October 9 episode of the show, the Kelce brothers took a fan question that sparked a discussion on nicknames.
In the show’s “No Dumb Questions” segment, a fan wanted to know the meaning behind the T-Rex logo on Travis’ Nike football gloves.
Travis explained that the gloves were custom-made and feature a small T-Rex logo as a tribute to his nickname from his childhood basketball days.
Trav hit the lateral again and we gotta talk about it
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— New Heights (@newheightshow) October 9, 2024
“You say it best when you say you don’t choose your own nicknames,” he told Jason.
Recalling the origins, Travis shared, “My basketball teammates called me ‘T-Rex.’ I think the ‘T’ was for ‘Travis,’ and maybe it was a mindset thing, or maybe it was because I was just, like, fat with short arms.”
The Chiefs star continued with another nickname he had when he was a kid: “Traveling Trav.”
Travis laughed as he recalled that the nickname came from his habit of “traveling” on the court. He joked, “Because I was traveling all over the world,” then clarified, “It was really because I didn’t like to dribble much.”
Jason and Travis went on to speculate lightheartedly about whether Travis could have taken his basketball skills further, maybe even to the NBA. They concluded, however, that the NFL was where they both truly belonged.
Jason, who had a 13-season career with the Eagles, retired earlier this year, while Travis continues to play with the Chiefs, fresh off their fifth consecutive win this season.
