NEW ORLEANS -- Deep in the midst of the insane scrum of Saquon Barkley's riser, the Philadelphia Eagles running back admitted he could have had a name very different than the one he was given.
Barkley was discussing words of wisdom given by his father, when he dropped the name Alibay Barkley wanted to give him. The name was after one of the most famous rappers of all time.
"My father wanted to name me Tupac Makaveli," Barkley said with a smile.
Tupac is arguably one of the greatest rappers of all time, and certainly in the 90s. Makaveli is the fifth album by Tupac (full name is The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory), the first one released after his death in September of 1996. The album was released in November of 1996 and Barkley was born in February 1997.
"My dad is a big Tupac fan, and I actually love Tupac, too," Barkley said. "But Makaveli was supposed to be my name, but my mom wasn't having any of that."
Barkley's father, Alibay, and mother, Tonya Johnson, have been watching their son live out his dream in Philadelphia. The season Barkley is having with the Eagles is the stuff of legend. He has 2,447 rushing yards this season (including playoffs), 30 yards shy of passing Terrell Davis for the most in a season in NFL history. Barkley also has 2,760 yards from scrimmage, three shy of passing Davis for most in a season in league history (including playoffs).
Barkley and Davis are the only players in NFL history to have 400+ rushing yards and 5+ rushing touchdowns in a single postseason. Barkley is also 138 yards away from passing Darren Sproles (2,897) for most all-purpose yards in a single season (including playoffs).
This is one of the greatest seasons by any player, one his parents are proud of. Even if Saquon's name could have been Tupac.
"The wisdom that my father gave me, there's so many I can even pick one," Barkley said. "I definitely am blessed and super fortunate to have both my parents in my life healthy and together. It means a lot."
