Kevin Durant really doesn't want you calling him 'Slim Reaper'

Since the idea surfaced on Reddit a few weeks back, the "Slim Reaper" nickname for Kevin Durant has really taken off.

It's no surprise why - it's clever (Jalen Rose always calls him "Iceberg Slim," anyway), it makes for great photoshops, and yes, his scoring prowess brings certain doom to opponents, his jump shot the basketball version of Death's deadly scythe.

But Durant, who prefers to just be called "KD" (not "Durantula" or "Flight 35" or anything like that, either), isn't coming around on the nickname. Speaking Monday, Durant identified the morbid nature of the name as his reason for rallying against it:

"That name is what it is. It's cool to have a nickname somebody else gave to you. It's kind of weird if you make your own nickname up. But to have that out there, I guess, is cool. I'm here to shine a bright light. I'm not here to be a guy of, I guess, death. We'll see what happens with that, but I just like KD better.

"Everybody's been loving the name. I think I'm the only one that really doesn't like it too much."

Sorry, Durant, but it's catching on. While the name was created back in May, it only picked up steam in recent weeks, coinciding with the hottest stretch of Durant's career.

Since Grantland gave it more mainstream notoriety on Jan. 23, Durant has averaged 31.7 points on 58.2 percent shooting with 6.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists. 

He's averaging 31.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists on the season, leading the league in scoring, minutes, and player efficiency rating. So here's another possible name for Durant by the end of the season: MVP.