Ravens defensive lineman will be going by Nnamdi Madubuike from now on.
A couple months ago, Ravens defensive lineman changed his Instagram profile name from Justin Madubuike to Nnamdi. And upon entering the Ravens’ locker room on Sunday, many noticed his nameplate was also changed.
When asked about the change on Sunday, Madubuike said he’s been considering a formal change, but has not made a final decision. But, he was leaning toward making it official.
On Monday, when I asked him about it again, he confirmed he will be going by Nnamdi Madubuike.
Spoke with Madubuike again today and he said he is going to be formally changing his name to Nnamdi Madubuike.
— Kyle Phoenix (@KylePBarber) September 2, 2024
Madubuike spoke with Baltimoreravens.com’s Ryan Mink about the change.
“Coming from Nigerian culture, our parents give us like an American name and give us a Nigerian name,” Madubuike told Mink. “When we were growing up as little kids, they addressed us as our Nigerian name. So Nnamdi, I believe in my heart, that’s my real name.”
The reason for the name change sparked after Madubuike signed his four-year contract extension; Madubuike reflected on his life, focus and drive to keep improving after a dominant 13 sack season.
“Just learning from the older vets and stuff, I keep finding ways to get better every single year. I just started to just keep everything real in terms of my life,” Madubuike told Mink. “After I signed my contract, I just need to keep doing that. I just felt like when I keep it real, the better player I am, the better man I am. I just was like, you know, I’m going to go with my real name. So Nnamdi is my real name.”