Vanderbilt’s Chandler Bing Discusses His Name and College Basketball
Vanderbilt’s Chandler Bing is aware that his name rings a bell — but he insists he wasn’t named after the late Matthew Perry’s iconic character from Friends.
However, that didn’t stop the playful jabs from coming in after Bing revealed his decision to attend the Nashville, Tennessee, school on Tuesday, April 29.
“My parents weren’t even thinking about the show,” he told the Tennessean in an interview published on Friday, May 2. “My mom has watched the show, but when they named me, I suppose she wasn’t really focused on it.”
Bing acknowledged that while he has already faced numerous Friends-related jokes in his life, he anticipates many more as he progresses in his basketball career.
“I actually haven’t watched the show,” he said. “But I’ve never really minded (the jokes). Once people filled me in, I thought, ‘Alright, I know I’m going to hear it a lot now.’ ”
The young basketball talent also shared that he chose Vanderbilt to compete at a high level in the SEC. “Competing against the top players … that was definitely a significant factor,” he remarked. “Making that choice was quite straightforward for me. Visiting the campus, the facilities, the city — it’s definitely a place where I can thrive on and off the court.”
Vanderbilt also boasts an impressive women’s basketball team, featuring rising sophomore Mikayla Blakes and rising junior Khamil Pierre. The duo, alongside teammates Sacha Washington and Justine Pissott, participated in the 2025 USA Basketball 3X Nationals at the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, from May 2 to May 4.
This event features 16 teams all vying for a 3×3 championship and a chance to be evaluated for a position on the USA Basketball 3×3 national team. Among the other teams competing are those from Fairfield, Florida, James Madison, Oklahoma State, Richmond, South Carolina, South Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin, and TCU.
Blakes, Pierre, and Pissott played vital roles in leading Vanderbilt’s women’s basketball team to their second consecutive 20-win season and a spot in this year’s March Madness tournament.
Blakes averaged 23.3 points per game during the 2024-25 season and earned the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year titles; Pierre averaged 20.4 points per game and received honorable mention on the WBCA All-American team.
