NBA players usually get their nicknames from their play style or as a derivative of their name. Los Angeles Lakers sophomore Talen Horton-Tucker might be the first one in the league's history to get a moniker because of his ability to learn. 

One would think that Horton-Tucker's nickname would arise from his ridiculous wingspan of 7'1, despite just standing at 6'4. Instead, he is fondly referred to as a sponge by his teammates. “The Sponge” could probably also be used on a player, who has a habit of absorbing a lot of contact whether in taking charges or driving to the rim with a bunch of defenders blocking the way.  

Horton-Tucker is just 20-years-old and superstar teammate LeBron James has 17 years of NBA experience, so the former can learn a lot from several people in the Lakers organization. 

Below is a complete timeline of every instance Horton-Tucker was referred to as a sponge.

The Sponge is born – Jul 23, 2020

Forward Kyle Kuzma was heaping praise on Horton-Tucker for his strong play in the G-league and empathized with him in the challenges of being a young player suiting up for such a well-known franchise. 

“Show him. Story tell a little bit about my days as a rookie,” Kuzma said of Horton-Tucker.  “Trying to help him. A lot of times, when you are a young guy, you take the blame. You take the fall for a lot of things—a lot of mishaps in practice.

“It’s frustrating, but I try to tell him it’s part of the process. Everybody goes through it. He’s just a young guy that wants to take everything in. He’s a sponge. Loves basketball. Loves being around us. Loves everything about it.”

 

Kuz double dips –  Aug 7, 2020

Kuzma would double down on the use of the sponge and commended him for THT's immense potential. 

LeBron makes Sponge THT official – Jan 11, 2021

This is the first instance that LeBron publicly referred to Horton-Tucker as a sponge and the young guard himself, embraced it. James said that Horton-Tucker's game was mature beyond his years, according to Mike Trudell of Spectrum SportsNet.    

“Does it on both sides of the floor, and then he just listens. He’s a sponge. And he can apply it right away … big time game for a kid that’s still growing into his own, but he’s (beyond) his years,” James commented. 

 

LeBron x Sponge 2.0 – Mar 16, 2021

On this day, LeBron once again used the word sponge to describe Horton-Tucker. In this instance, James showed his appreciation to the young player's attentiveness during discussions, per Bill Oram of The Athletic.  

“He’s just a sponge,” LeBron remarked “He don’t say much but when you talk to him, you can tell that he’s listening. You can tell that it’s getting stored. And he applies it onto the floor so you know that it’s getting through.”

THT Sponge in action – Apr 12, 2021

It seems fans are slowly accepting referring to Horton-Tucker as a sponge too. The clip below shows his absorbing skills in action as he is in the midst of James and big man Anthony Davis.

 

The Sponge lives on – Apr 19, 2021

This marks the addition of another Laker using ‘sponge' when referring to Horton-Tucker. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was discussing Horton-Tucker's steady improvement. 

At this rate, it is just a matter of time before the media and the majority of fans jump into the Talen “The Sponge” Horton-Tucker bandwagon.