Ravens’ Justin Madubuike changes name: Star DT explains why he’ll go by his birth name in 2024 and beyond

Justin Madubuike made a name for himself during the 2023 season. Now that Madubuike has his reputation sealed as one of the best defensive tackles in the league, the Baltimore Ravens star wants to go by his birth name for this year and beyond. 

Madubuike will go by his Nigerian-given name, Nnamdi, going forward. 

“Coming from Nigerian culture, our parents give us like an American name and give us a Nigerian name,” Madubuike said, via the Ravens website. “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.”

Nnamdi means “my father’s son” or “my father’s legacy,” which is one of the reasons Madubuike changed back to his birth name. Justin is the name on his birth certificate, but his parents call him Nnamdi at home. He was inspired to change the name after seeing his teammate, Odafe Oweh, change his name in 2021. Odafe went by Jayson at Penn State and in his years prior to joining the NFL. 

“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 said. “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.”

Madubuike signed a four-year contract extension this offseason, making him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the league. 

Madubuike was a game wrecker on the interior of the defensive line last season, accumulating 65 pressures, 13 sacks and 33 quarterback hits and pressure rate of 13.4%. He played a massive role in Baltimore having the No. 1 scoring defense in the regular season. 

Going forward, he will go my Nnamdi, getting approval form his father to change the name.