diff --git a/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kubernetesclient/KubernetesRequestDigest.java b/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kubernetesclient/KubernetesRequestDigest.java
index 6a7541609c03..e53504ff1a58 100644
--- a/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kubernetesclient/KubernetesRequestDigest.java
+++ b/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/kubernetesclient/KubernetesRequestDigest.java
@@ -106,7 +106,14 @@ public String toString() {
       targetResourceName = resourceMeta.getResource() + "/" + resourceMeta.getSubResource();
     }
 
-    return verb.value() + ' ' + groupVersion + ' ' + targetResourceName;
+    StringBuilder result = new StringBuilder(verb.value());
+    if (!groupVersion.isEmpty()) {
+      result.append(" ").append(groupVersion);
+    }
+    if (!targetResourceName.isEmpty()) {
+      result.append(" ").append(targetResourceName);
+    }
+    return result.toString();
   }
 
   private static boolean isNullOrEmpty(String s) {
diff --git a/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/KubernetesClientTest.groovy b/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/KubernetesClientTest.groovy
index 67da3165a26d..f7becdd2dcbe 100644
--- a/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/KubernetesClientTest.groovy
+++ b/instrumentation/kubernetes-client-7.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/KubernetesClientTest.groovy
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ class KubernetesClientTest extends AgentInstrumentationSpecification {
           kind SpanKind.INTERNAL
           hasNoParent()
         }
-        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get  pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 200)
+        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 200)
       }
     }
   }
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ class KubernetesClientTest extends AgentInstrumentationSpecification {
           status ERROR
           errorEvent(exception.class, exception.message)
         }
-        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get  pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 451, exception)
+        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 451, exception)
       }
     }
   }
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ class KubernetesClientTest extends AgentInstrumentationSpecification {
           kind SpanKind.INTERNAL
           hasNoParent()
         }
-        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get  pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 200)
+        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 200)
         span(2) {
           name "callback"
           kind SpanKind.INTERNAL
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ class KubernetesClientTest extends AgentInstrumentationSpecification {
           kind SpanKind.INTERNAL
           hasNoParent()
         }
-        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get  pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 451, exception.get())
+        apiClientSpan(it, 1, "get pods/proxy", "${server.httpUri()}/api/v1/namespaces/namespace/pods/name/proxy?path=path", 451, exception.get())
         span(2) {
           name "callback"
           kind SpanKind.INTERNAL