GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — The Green Bay Packers' starting right tackle is changing his name from Zach Tom to Zach Bako-Bewele as a way of paying tribute to his Nigerian ancestry.
Bako-Bewele told reporters Sunday that Bako is the last name of his father’s mother and Bewele is the last name of his father’s father. He said the process toward changing his name began around March of this year.
“Just doing some research, talking to my dad a little bit, I wanted to have a name that represented where I came from, my ancestry, just get back to my roots,” the 2022 fourth-round pick from Wake Forest said.
Bako-Bewele said he had been thinking about doing this for a few years, “probably back since college at least.” He started researching it more this offseason.
“Especially when I start having kids and stuff, I want to have a name that I can pass down where it represents where they came from, where I came from,” Bako-Bewele said. “I just feel like that name will, people will see that name and have a good understanding of who I am, where i come from.”
He’s still going through all the various steps involved in this type of decision.
“I’ve got to get like a new social security card, new driver’s license, all that stuff,” he said. “So it’s still not technically finalized yet, but we’re right there.”
Bako-Bewele has been Green Bay’s starting right tackle since 2023. He has been working his way back this offseason while recovering from surgery to a partially torn patellar tendon that limited him to 12 games last season.
He said Sunday that he hopes to start participating in team drills “within a week or so.”
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FILE - Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Zach Tom looks to block during the second half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions in Detroit, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)
