List of basketball nicknames

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of nicknames in the sport of professional basketball.

Contents 1 Players 1.1 First name basis 2 Teams 3 Courts 4 Moves 5 See also

[edit] Players

• "3D" - Boris Diaw (After his jersey number, and his 3-Dimensional play)
• "A-Train"-Vin Baker
• "The Admiral" – David Robinson (he played at Annapolis, and served in the United States Navy for two years after graduation before being allowed to play in the NBA)
• "Agent Zero" - Gilbert Arenas
• "A.I." – Allen Iverson (his initials)
• "A.I. 2" – Andre Iguodala (his initials plus the two, since Allen Iverson is the original AI)
• "Air Canada" - Vince Carter (when he played for the Toronto Raptors)
• "Air Jordan" - Michael Jordan
• "Air Zaire" – Dikembe Mutombo
• "Air France"- Mickaël Piétrus
• "AK-47" – Andrei Kirilenko; after his initials, jersey number, and with a play on the famous Soviet assault rifle (which was coincidentally designed in his birthplace of Izhevsk)
• "The Answer" – Allen Iverson
• "Ap" - Anthony Parker
• "Heir Apparent" - Kobe Bryant
• "B-Diddy" - Baron Davis
• "Baby Shaq" – Sofoklis Schortsanitis, from his alleged resemblance to Shaquille O'Neal, plus his slightly smaller size than O'Neal
• "Big-O" – Oscar Robertson
• "Shaq Diesel" – Shaquille O'Neal
• "Big Ben" – Ben Wallace
• "The Big Cat" - Jamaal Magloire
• "Big Country" – Bryant Reeves
• "The Big Diesel" – Shaquille O'Neal
• "The Big Dipper" – Wilt Chamberlain
• "Big Dog" – Glenn Robinson and Antoine Carr
• "The Big Drizzle" – Drew Gooden (His old nickname was "The Truth", now owned by Paul Pierce)
• "The Big Fundamental" – Tim Duncan
• "Big Game James" – James Worthy
• "Big Nasty" - Corliss Williamson
• "Big Red" – Arvydas Sabonis
• "Big Shot Bob" – Robert Horry
• "Big Sleep" – Tracy McGrady
• "The Big Smooth" – Sam Perkins
• "Big Smooth" - Charlie Villanueva
• "Biedrs" (Latvian for "Partner") - Andris Biedrins
• "Big Snacks" - Jerome James
• "Big Sofo" – Sofoklis Schortsanitis
• "The Big Ticket" – Kevin Garnett
• "Brazilian Blur"- Leandro Barbosa
• "Big Z" - Zydrunas Ilgauskas
• "Bird Man" - Chris Andersen
• "Black Cat" – Michael Jordan
• "Black Mamba" - Kobe Bryant
• "The Black President" - Gilbert Arenas
• "The Brazilian Beast" - Nenê
• "The Cambyman" - Marcus Camby
• "The Captain" – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• "Captain Canada" - Steve Nash (nickname often used by Sportsnet broadcasters)
• "Captain Crunch" - Jalen Rose
• "The Cat" - Cuttino Mobley
• "CB4" - Chris Bosh
• "The Chief" – Robert Parish (after the mute, expressionless character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest)
• "Chocolate Thunder" – Darryl Dawkins
• "The Chosen One" - LeBron James
• "Clyde" – Walt Frazier (after the film Bonnie and Clyde, due to his flamboyant clothes)
• "Clyde the Glide" – Clyde Drexler
• "CP3" - Chris Paul
• "The Croatian Sensation" – Toni Kukoč; rhyming play on his Croatian origin
• "C-Webb" - Chris Webber
• "The Daily Double" - Dwight Howard (for his consistent scoring and rebounding)
• "Damp" - Erick Dampier
• "Det the Threat" – Detlef Schrempf
• "Diesel" – Shaquille O'Neal
• "The Dinka Dunker" - Manute Bol
• "Dirk Diggler" – Dirk Nowitzki (after the fictional porn star character in 1997 film Boogie Nights)
• "Dirkules" – Dirk Nowitzki
• "Disco Dirk" - Dirk Nowitzki
• "D-Marsh" - Donyell Marshall
• "D-Miles" - Darius Miles
• "D-Wade" – Dwyane Wade
• "Dr. J" – Julius Erving
• "Dollar Bill" – Bill Bradley
• "The Dove" - Nadav Henefeld
• "The Dream" – Hakeem Olajuwon
• "The Dunking Dutchman" – Rik Smits
• "Dynasty" – Yao Ming; given by ex-teammate Steve Francis, pertaining to the Ming Dynasty
• "Earl the Pearl" – Earl Monroe
• "The East Coast Assassin" - Gilbert Arenas
• "El Contusione" – Manu Ginobili
• "Employee Number 8" - Antoine Walker
• "Flash" - Dwyane Wade; named after a superhero: Flash
• "Flip" - Ronald Murray
• "Floppy" - Manu Ginobili
• "Get Buckets" - Ricky Davis
• "G-Force" - Gerald Wallace
• "Garbage Man" - Michael Bradley
• "Gil" - Gilbert Arenas
• "The Glove" – Gary Payton (his defense "held" opponents like a "baseball in a glove")
• "God" – Michael Jordan
• "Godzilla" - Yao Ming (his height and his Asian ancestry)
• "Grandmama" - Larry Johnson
• "The Great Wall of China" – Yao Ming
• "H2O" – Allan Houston (after his jersey number)
• "Hair Canada" – Steve Nash
• "Half Man, Half Amazing" - Vince Carter (after his performance in the 2000 dunk contest)
• "Hedo" or "Hido" - Hidayet Türkoğlu
• "His Airness" – Michael Jordan
• "His Heinous" – Bill Laimbeer
• "The Hick from French Lick" – Larry Bird
• "Hoffa" - Rafael Araujo
• "Hondo" - John Havlicek (after the John Wayne movie)
• "Hot Plate" - John Sam Williams, normally referred to as simply John Williams; nickname from his large girth, and to distinguish him from John "Hot Rod" Williams. Both of these John Williamses entered the NBA in 1986 from colleges in Louisiana ("Hot Plate" from LSU, "Hot Rod" from Tulane).
• "Hot Rod" - Rodney Hundley and later John Williams (not to be confused with John "Hot Plate" Williams)
• "The Human Eraser" – Marvin Webster
• "The Human Highlight Film" – Dominique Wilkins
• "The Human Victory Cigar" – Darko Milicic (because of his extremely limited playtime)
• "The Hurt" - Kurt Thomas
• "The Iceman" – George Gervin
• "Iggy" - Andre Iguodala
• "Indiana Jones" - Fred Jones (plays for the Indiana Pacers)
• "LBJ" - LeBron James
• "J-Dub" - Jason Williams
• "J-Smoove" - Josh Smith
• "The Jester" - Gilbert Arenas
• "Jesus" – Ray Allen (after his role in He Got Game)
• "The Jet" - Jason Terry
• "J-Rich" - Jason Richardson
• "J. Will" - Jason Williams
• "J.J." - Joe Johnson
• "Jungle Jim" – Jim Loscutoff
• "The Junk Yard Dog" – Jerome Williams (for his willingness to do the dirty work)
• "Kandi Man" - Michael Olowokandi
• "KG" – Kevin Garnett (his initials)
• "Kid Canada" - Steve Nash
• "Killer" – Reggie Miller
• "King James" - LeBron James
• "K-Mart" - Kenyon Martin
• "The Kobe Stopper" - Ruben Patterson
• "The Kobra" - Kobe Bryant
• "LJ" - Larry Johnson
• "(The) L-Train" - Lionel Simmons
• "Larry Legend" – Larry Bird
• "Le Roi" (French for "The King") - Antoine Rigaudeau
• "Lord of the Rings" - Kobe Bryant
• "Mad Dog" – Mark Madsen
• "Madison Square Gordon" – Ben Gordon
• "Magic" – Earvin Johnson
• "The Mailman" – Karl Malone ("a mailman always delivers")
• "The Man Child" -Dwight Howard
• "The Matrix" – Shawn Marion (after the film)
• "The Mayor" – Fred Hoiberg; given to him by his Iowa State teammates because of his extraordinary popularity in the school's home city of Ames, Iowa, where he was raised
• "The Meeks" - Chamique Holdsclaw, Semeka Randall, and Tamika Catchings; used when all three were teammates at the University of Tennessee
• "Melo" - Carmelo Anthony
• "The Microwave" – Vinnie Johnson ("gets hot instantly")
• "The Mitten" – Gary Payton (he has lost a step on defense, so now he fits more like a mitten than a glove")
• "Mighty Mouse" - Damon Stoudamire
• "Miller Time" - Reggie Miller
• "Mighty Mouse" - Damon Stoudamire
• "The Ming Dynasty" - Yao Ming
• "Miracle" - Milt Palacio
• "Mr. Big Shot" - Chauncey Billups
• "Mr. 81" - Kobe Bryant; On January 22, 2006 scored 81 points vs the Toronto Raptors in L.A.
• "Mr. Clutch" – Jerry West
• "MJ" – Michael Jordan
• "Monster Mash" – Jamal Mashburn; a play on his surname with the Bobby Pickett song, "Monster Mash"*"
• "Moochie" - Martyn Norris
• "Mookie" - Daron Blaylock
• "MoPete" - Morris Peterson
• "Nasty Nash" – Steve Nash
• "Nashty" - Steve Nash
• "Nick at Night" - Nick Van Exel
• "Nick the Quick" – Nick Van Exel
• "The Owl without a Vowel" – Bill Mlkvy
• "P Double" - Paul Pierce
• "Penny" - Anfernee Hardaway
• "Pistol Pete" – Pete Maravich
• "Pitchin' Paul" – Paul Arizin
• "Plastic Man" - Stacey Augmon
• "The Prince of Darkness" – Bill Laimbeer
• "Q" - Quentin Richardson
• "Q-Rich" - Quentin Richardson
• "The Rapist" - Kobe Bryant (in reference to his alleged rape case)
• "The Red Rocket" - Matt Bonner
• "Redd Hot" - Michael Redd
• "Reef" - Shareef Abdur-Rahim
• "The Reignman" – Shawn Kemp
• "Rip" - Richard Hamilton
• "Ron Ron" – Ron Artest
• "Rooney" - Šarūnas Marčiulionis
• "The Round Mound of Rebound" – Charles Barkley
• "R-Wall" - Rasheed Wallace
• "Saba" or "Sabas" - Arvydas Sabonis
• "Sam I Am" - Sam Cassell
• "Saras" or "Sharas" - Šarūnas Jasikevičius
• "Shaq" - Shaquille O'Neal
• "Shaquie Chan" – Yao Ming, a play on the names of basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal and Chinese actor and martial artist Jackie Chan
• "Sheed" – Rasheed Wallace
• "The Show" - Harold Arceneaux
• "Silk" – Jamaal Wilkes
• "Sir Charles" – Charles Barkley
• "Skip to My Lou" – Rafer Alston
• "Spanish Chocolate" – Sergio Rodriguez
• "Speedy" – Craig Claxton
• "Spider" – John Salley
• "The Stache" – Adam Morrison
• "Starbury" – Stephon Marbury
• "STAT" - Amare Stoudemire (Standing Tall and Talented)
• "The Stro Show" - Stromile Swift
• "Stevie Franchise" - Steve Francis
• "Sugar" - Ray Allen
• "Thunder Dan" – Dan Majerle
• "Tim Bug" – Tim Hardaway
• "Tiny" – Nate Archibald
• "T-Mac" - Tracy McGrady
• "T-Tom" - Tim Thomas
• "The Tractor" – Robert Traylor
• "The Truth" – Paul Pierce
• "Vinsanity" – Vince Carter
• "Wally World" - Wally Szczerbiak
• "White Chocolate" – Jason Williams
• "White Mike" – Mike Miller
• "Wife-Beater" - Jason Kidd (Was called this by the Celtics fans during the 2002 ECF)
• "Wilt the Stilt" – Wilt Chamberlain
• "The Worm" – Dennis Rodman (for his wriggling when he played pinball)
• "The X-Man" – Xavier McDaniel; play on the initial of his first name with the X-Men, a group of superheroes
• "Zeke" – Isiah Thomas
• "Zo" - Alonzo Mourning
• "Urch" - Gary Urchuck
• "Tee Bee" - Terrell Brandon

[edit] First name basis

The following players are usually referred to by their given name only:

• Alonzo - Alonzo Mourning
• Amaré - Amaré Stoudemire
• Carmelo - Carmelo Anthony
• Dirk - Dirk Nowitzki
• Gilbert - Gilbert Arenas
• Juwan - Juwan Howard
• Hakeem - Hakeem Olajuwon
• Kareem - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Kobe - Kobe Bryant
• Larry - Larry Bird
• LeBron - LeBron James
• Magic - Earvin "Magic" Johnson
• Manu - Manu Ginobili (Actually a contraction of his real first name of Emanuel.)
• Michael - Michael Jordan
• Nenê - Nenê (Hilario) (Born Maybyner Rodney Hilario, he was nicknamed Nenê as a child, and like many Brazilian athletes, he was generally known by his nickname. However, unlike most, he actually adopted his nickname as his legal name, though not until after he came to the NBA.)
• Pau - Pau Gasol
• Peja - Peja Stojaković (This is a common nickname in his homeland of Serbia for his real first name of Predrag.)
• Rasheed - Rasheed Wallace
• Reggie - Reggie Miller
• Vince - Vince Carter

Special case:

• Yao - Yao Ming This is not his given name, but rather his family name. In his native land of China, family names are placed before given names.

[edit] Teams

• Baby Bulls - Chicago Bulls
• Blazers – Portland Trail Blazers
• Boomers – Australia men's national team
• Cavs – Cleveland Cavaliers
• The Defenders - Detroit Pistons
• Gli Azzurri – Italy national team
• Jail Blazers or Jailblazers - Portland Trail Blazers
• Knicks – New York Knickerbockers ("Knickerbockers" is the team's rarely-used legal name.)
• Les Bleus – France national team
• Mavs – Dallas Mavericks
• Opals - Australia women's national team
• Queens - Sacramento Kings (first used by Shaquille O'Neal)
• Raps - Toronto Raptors
• Sixers – Philadelphia 76ers
• Sonics, Hedgehogs, or Supe's – Seattle SuperSonics
• Texas Warriors - San Antonio Spurs
• Tall Blacks – New Zealand national team
• T'Wolves - Minnesota Timberwolves
• The Wiz - Washington Wizards

[edit] Courts

• ACC - Air Canada Centre
• Il Madison - PalaDozza (Bologna, Italy); a play on Madison Square Garden
• MSG - Madison Square Garden
• The World's Most Famous Arena - Madison Square Garden

[edit] Moves

• The "Hinrich Maneuver" - Kirk Hinrich's dribbling toward the basket trying to make a play
• The "Lister Blister" - A highlight dunk made by Shawn Kemp over Alton Lister in the mid-1990s
• The "UTEP Two Step"- A crossover dribble move used by former NBA great Tim Hardaway

[edit] See also

• Nickname
• List of baseball nicknames
• List of hockey nicknames
• List of athletes by nickname