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See the full story · 1 sourcesThe player wearing No. 50 for the Green Bay Packers will have a new name on the back of their uniform for the 2026 season.
Offensive lineman Zach Tom is changing his name to Zach Bako-Bewele, the new last name representing a combination of his grandparents' Nigerian names. Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN , Bako is the last name of his dad’s mom, while Bewele is the last name of his dad’s dad.
The name change is active on the team's website and in the Packers locker room.
Here is the reasoning, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic:
Zach Tom is no longer Zach Tom. He legally changed his name to Zach Bako-Bewele, a combination of his grandparents’ Nigerian last names. “Especially when I start having kids, I want to have a name that I can pass down where it represents where they came from, where I came from.” pic.twitter.com/JDPkjnvhtU
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 2, 2026 Bako-Bewele, a 2022 draft pick of the Packers, has a given name of Zachary Miskom Tom by parents Michael and Vanessa Tom.
During his first four seasons in Green Bay, Bako-Bewele became the full-time starter at right tackle, signed a $88 million contract extension and established himself as one of the game's best right tackles. He is coming off an injury-riddled 2025 season but arrived at training camp healthy.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers OT Zach Tom changing name to Zach Bako-Bewele
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