George Gervin, the former San Antonio Spurs star, had built the nickname “Iceman” for himself without a filing. After four NBA Scoring titles with the Spurs, a signature move called the ‘finger roll,’ and 40+ years of public association, no one challenged the name he had earned for his cool persona during the games. At least until Caleb Williams made a move for that moniker himself. Shortly afterwards, NFL personality Skip Bayless weighed in on the legal dispute between Williams and Gervin.

“I’m a Caleb Williams fan. But I was a much bigger Iceman Gervin fan, and I’m offended that Caleb and Co. are trying to steal George’s all-time great nickname. I unleash on today’s Arena Gridiron 2:30 E.” Skip Bayless posted on X.

Bayless wasn’t wrong to feel protective, but calling it a theft while also claiming to be a fan of Williams got a sharp dig out of the quarterback just hours later.

“Idc about where your fandom stands,” Williams fired back on X, reposting Skip Bayless’s post. “I was trying to give you and everyone else the benefit of the doubt, about knowing business and being smart about it. But I guess not. Foolish of me! Also, words matter, Skip Bayless. ‘Steal.’ Enjoy that podcast.”

The podcast is Arena Gridiron, where Bayless was scheduled to appear on Friday at 2:30 EST. But Williams didn’t stop at just his own words. He posted a screenshot alongside it: Merriam-Webster’s definition of “steal”: to take the property of another wrongfully and especially as a habitual or regular practice.” Property has to be claimed before it can be stolen, and since Gevin never legally claimed it, Williams is technically in the clear. What’s more, he may have also done enough to earn it.

In the WildCard game between the Bears and the Green Bay Packers in January 2026, Williams created history. Trailing the Packers 21-6 in the fourth quarter, Williams orchestrated three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to seal the game 31-27. With that, Williams joined the ranks of Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Matthew Stafford, and Eli Manning as the only quarterbacks in the last two decades with two passing touchdowns while trailing in the fourth quarter of a playoff win. That’s a composure stat, not a talent one.

What’s more, that WildCard game marked the seventh fourth-quarter comeback Williams had pulled off, including the regular season. He’s now the only quarterback under 25 to earn that milestone. One can see why the nickname “Iceman” began to be associated with Williams in Early 2025. Even he had addressed it at the time:

“I’m a fan of it,” Williams had said of the nickname. “It’s a cool name. It’s interesting when you think of it. Ice is still. Ice is calm, but underneath is pure energy. That’s the same mindset I have in those moments. I feel at my calmest on the outside, but a lot is going on inside.”

But here’s where things start to get complicated. On March 16, Caleb Williams Holding Inc. filed four trademark applications with the USPTO. After learning about this, Gervin Interests LLC countered four days later with filings for “Iceman” and “Iceman 44” – the number the Spurs retired in 1987. Gervin had also tried to file a trademark in 2023, but the attorney he’d hired had died of a heart attack. While Gervin regrouped, Williams moved into the vacancy.

The NFL already has another version of this. In 2025, Lamar Jackson withdrew his challenge to Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman’s No. 8 trademark, a dispute his attorney had pressed for over a year. Athletes who wait lose the window, and Williams has enough experience with fourth-quarter comebacks to figure out the perfect timing.

In contrast, Gervin’s patent filing, though submitted four days later, clearly states that “Iceman” was first commercialised by Gervin back in 1979. While this patent battle now plays out, Gervin has also decided to speak up for his name.

The legend weighs in.

The Caleb Williams – Skip Bayless exchange gave people a tweet to share. But George Gervin’s objection runs much older: four decades of carrying a name he never imagined needing to file for.

“I’ve been the Iceman for 40-something years,” Gervin told ESPN. “I never thought anybody would try to trademark it. He kind of knocked me out the box.”

But Gervin’s frustration doesn’t cancel his read on Caleb Williams’ stock as an athlete. He also praised the quarterback before defending his nickname.

“I hate it the most because, man, he’s a special young guy getting ready to come up,” Gervin said. “His potential is great, and he does have ice in his veins. But that name is already taken up.”

The San Antonio Spurs backed Gervin with a graphic of him on a throne of ice blocks, captioned: “There’s only one Iceman.” But Gervin’s camp was blunter. If Williams’ application for the patent is approved, Gervin Global Management’s president and CEO, Jerald Barisano, has already made it known that they will “fight him tooth and nail to the end.”

To further complicate things, there’s also UFC’s Chuck Liddell in the mix. Liddell had also filed for “The Iceman” in 2023, and his pending application could give the USPTO grounds to reject Gervin and Williams’ claims entirely.

Whatever gets decided, George Gervin owns the history. Caleb Williams may end up owning the trademark. But neither outcome answers the more direct question: whose name is it, really?