List of basketball nicknames

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This is a list of nicknames in the sport of basketball. Most are related to professional basketball, although a few notable nicknames from the U.S. college game are included.

Contents 1 Players 1.1 First name basis 2 Teams 3 Courts 4 Moves 5 See also 6 Notes

[edit] Players

• "Socks " – Elliot Perry (Because he always wore his socks to his knees)
• "3D" – Boris Diaw (After his jersey number, and his 3-Dimensional play), Dennis Scott (For his 3 point shooting ability) and Darryl Garvey (Double Double Darryl)
• "40 Blocks and 40 Humps" – Joakim Noah
• "A-Bano" – Vin Baker, Artis Gilmore and Aaron Rich
• "A-Bomb" – Andrew Bynum
• "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)
• "Action Jackson" – Stephen Jackson (For his on and off court fights and confrontations)
• "Agent Zero" – Gilbert Arenas (zero is his jersey number)
• "A.I." – Allen Iverson (his initials)
• "AI2" – Andre Iguodala (his initials plus the two, since Allen Iverson is the original AI)
• "Alamore" – Adam Morrison
• "Air Canada)" – Vince Carter (when he played for the Toronto Raptors)
• "Air Jordan" – Michael Jordan
• "Air Zaire" – Dikembe Mutombo
• "Air France"- Mickaël Piétrus
• "Air Gordon"- Ben Gordon (a play on the nickname Air Jordan for Michael Jordan)
• "AK47" – 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)
• "Alabama Slamma-Bamma Slamma"- Jamario Moon
• "The Answer" – Allen Iverson
• "AP" – Anthony Parker
• "Apollo 33" – Jamario Moon
• "Bassy" – Sebastian Telfair
• "BD" – Baron Davis (his initials)
• "B-Dicky" – Baron Davis
• "Baby Al" – Al Harrington
• "Baby Gramps" – Greg Oden He is a remarkably old looking young man.
• "Baby Jordan" – Harold Miner
• "Baby Shaq" – Sofoklis Schortsanitis, from his alleged resemblance to Shaquille O'Neal, plus he is slightly smaller size than O'Neal
• "Banged-Up Ballsac" – Bill Laimbeer (due to several severe collisions involving other player's knees and his scrotum)
• "The Basketball Jesus" – Larry Bird
• "B-Dazzled" – Baron Davis
• "B-Roy" – Brandon Roy
• "Beastly" - Michael Beasley
• "The Beast" – Patrick Ewing, due to his appearance
• "Big-O" – Oscar Robertson
• "The Big O" – Oliver Miller
• "Big Al" – Al Jefferson
• "Big Baby" – Glen Davis
• "The Big Aristotle" – Shaquille O'Neal
• "Big Ben" – Ben Wallace
• "The Big Bust" – Sam Bowie
• "The Big Dick" – Shaquille O'Neal
• "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 Fundamental" – Tim Duncan (for his fundamentally sound game)
• "Big Game James" – James Worthy
• "The Big Glue Factory" – Andrés Nocioni (his parents own a glue factory)
• "Big Nasty" – Corliss Williamson
• "Big Red" – Arvydas Sabonis
• "Big Shot Rob" or "Big Shot Bob"^[1] – Robert Horry
• "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
• "Big Z" – Zydrunas Ilgauskas
• "Black Jesus" – Amare Stoudemire
• "Black Mamba" – Kobe Bryant
• "The Boston Celtic Mascot" – Brian Scalabrine
• "Brazilian Blur"- Leandro Barbosa
• "Bird Man" – Chris Andersen
• "The Blatchine Gun" – Andray Blatche
• "The Body Guard" – Baron Davis
• "Bron Bron" – LeBron James
• "Boom Dizzle" – Baron Davis
• "Boobie" – Daniel Gibson
• "Booz" – Carlos Boozer
• "The Blonde Bomber" – Dirk Nowitzki
• "Buffet of Goodness" – Channing Frye (he has described himself as a buffet of goodness because of his all around skills)
• "Buc The World" – Greg Buckner
• "Bulletproof" – Baron Davis (Since his body is so hard to stop on the basketball court)
• "Cabbage Blatche Kid" – Andray Blatche
• "The Cambyman" – Marcus Camby
• "The Captain" – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• "Captain Canada" – Steve Nash
• "Captain Crunch" – Jalen Rose
• "Captain Jack" – Stephen Jackson
• "Captain Kirk" – Kirk Hinrich
• "The Cat" – Cuttino Mobley
• "CB4" – Chris Bosh
• "CDR" – Chris Douglas-Roberts
• "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
• "The Cobra" – Kobe Bryant (used by Sportsnet during the 2007-08 season in a commercial. They later revised the commercial to say "Black Mamba".
• "Cool Hand Luke" – Luke Jackson
• "CP3" – Chris Paul (His dad is CP1 and his older brother is CP2)
• "Crash" – Gerald Wallace (because of his physical play in blocking and rebounding)
• "The Croatian Sensation" – Toni Kukoč; rhyming play on his Croatian origin
• "The Custodian"- Brian Cardinal (because he cleans up)
• "C-Webb" – Chris Webber
• "D12" – Dwight Howard
• "The Daily Double" – Dwight Howard (for his consistent scoring and rebounding)
• "Damp" – Erick Dampier
• "DaWhite Howard" – David Lee (reference to him being a white player, and his similar penchant for snarring rebounds ala rebound king Dwight Howard)
• "Defende Reboundo" – Dikembe Mutombo (for his spectacular skills on the defensive end and on the glass, also it rhymes with his name)
• "The Definition" – Martell Webster (a play on his surname (popularized by Webster's Dictionary), given to him by a personal friend)
• "Det the Threat" – Detlef Schrempf
• "Dice" – Antonio McDyess
• "Diesel" – Shaquille O'Neal
• "The Diggler" – Dirk Nowitzki
• "Dirkules" – Dirk Nowitzki
• "The Dinka Dunker" – Manute Bol
• "D-Fish" – Derek Fisher
• "D-Marsh" – Donyell Marshall
• "D-Miles" – Darius Miles
• "D-Mart" – Darrick Martin
• "D-Wade" – Dwyane Wade
• "D-West" – Delonte West
• "D-Will" – Deron Williams
• "Dr. Dunkenstein" – Darrell Griffith
• "Dr. J" – Julius Erving
• "Dr. No" – Joakim Noah
• "Doc Howard" – Dwight Howard
• "Dollar Bill" – Bill Bradley
• "Downtown Freddie" – Fred Brown – for his proficiency in the 3-point basket ("from downtown")
• "Dre" – Andris Biedrins
• "The Dream" – Hakeem Olajuwon
• "Du" – Chris Duhon]
• "The Dunking Dutchman" – Rik Smits
• "Dynasty" – Yao Ming; given by teammate Steve Francis, pertaining to the Ming Dynasty
• "E-City" – Eddy Curry
• "Earl the Pearl" – Earl Monroe
• "Earl the Squirrel" – Earl Boykins
• "The East Coast Assassin" – Gilbert Arenas
• "Eddy "Off The Heezy" House" – Eddy House
• "Bringing Down The House" – Eddy House
• "EB" – Elton Brand
• "EJ" – Eddie Jones; because of his initials
• "El Contusione" – Manu Ginobili
• "Employee Number 8" – Antoine Walker
• "EO50" – Emeka Okafor (his number in college and the pros is 50)
• "Sam-I-Am" – Sam Cassell
• "Fabio" – Wálter Herrmann
• "Fats" – Eddy Curry
• "Felts" – Raymond Felton
• "Ferengi" – Reggie Miller (His incredible resemblance to the Ferengi race on Star Trek)
• "Flash" – Dwyane Wade; named after his super-quick superhero counterpart: Flash
• "Flash" – Darrell Armstrong
• "Flip" – Ronald Murray
• "Flop" - Manu Ginobili
• "The Flying Dutchman" – Dirk Nowitzki(due to his German heritage)
• "Free Money – Tyrus Thomas
• "The Future" -Carmelo Anthony
• "Get Buckets" – Ricky Davis
• "G-Force" – Gerald Wallace
• "G-Money" – Gerald Green
• "Garbage Man" – Michael Bradley
• "Garbo" – Jorge Garbajosa
• "Ghostface" – Joel Przybilla
• "Gil" – Gilbert Arenas
• "The Glove" – Gary Payton (for his defensive play – (his defense "held" opponents like a "baseball in a glove"))
• "G.P." – Gary Payton
• "Gollum" – Sam Cassell (from Charles Barkley)
• "Golden Graham" – Joey Graham
• "The Goods" – Lamar Odom
• "Grandmama" – Larry Johnson (from his role in a series of Converse commercials in which he portrayed his own grandmother)
• "The Great Wall of China" – Yao Ming
• "The Great Garbo" – Jorge Garbajosa
• "Grits N Gravy" – Ricky Davis
• "Ground Hog Day" – Tim Duncan (everything repeats – given by Charles Barkley)
• "H2O" – Allan Houston (after his jersey number)
• "Hair Canada" – Steve Nash (before he changed his hairstyle to a crew cut)
• "The Haitian Sensation" – Samuel Dalembert
• "Half Man, Half Amazing" – Vince Carter (after his performance in the 2000 dunk contest)
• "The Hammer" – Matt Carroll and Shane Heal
• "Hedo" or "Hido" – Hidayet Türkoğlu
• "Hibachi" – Gilbert Arenas (self-named)
• "His Airness" – Michael Jordan
• "His Heinous" – Bill Laimbeer
• "The Hick from French Lick" – Larry Bird
• "Hoffa" – Rafael Araújo
• "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 Williams's 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 Reel" – Dominique Wilkins
• "The Human Victory Cigar" - Darko Milicic (he only gets off the bench when Pistons had won)
• "Humps" – Kris Humphries
• "Hungry Hungry Hilton" – Hilton Armstrong
• "The Iceman" – George Gervin
• "Iggy" – Andre Iguodala
• "Indiana Jones" – Fred Jones (plays for the Indiana Pacers)
• "The Italian Stalion"- Andrea Bargnani
• "LBJ" – LeBron James
• "J-Kidd"- Jason Kidd
• "J-Chill" – Josh Childress
• "J-Dub" – Jason Williams
• "J-Smoove" – Josh Smith
• "Jazzy Cabbages" – Sarunas Jasikevicius (Given by NBA coach, Don Nelson, since Sarunas' last name is hard to prounounce.)
• "The Jester" – Gilbert Arenas
• "Jesus Shuttlesworth" – Ray Allen (His character name in the Spike Lee movie "He Got Game")
• "The Jet" – Jason Terry and Kenny Smith
• "J-Ho" – Josh Howard
• "J-Max" – Jason Maxiell
• "J-Meas" - Jonathon Measday
• "J-Rich" – Jason Richardson
• "J. Will" – Jason Williams
• "J.J." – Joe Johnson
• "J5" – Josh Howard
• "Joe Cool" – Joe Johnson
• "J.T. Money"-Jason Terry
• "Jungle Jim" – Jim Loscutoff
• "Junk Yard Dog" – Jerome Williams (for his willingness to do the dirty work)
• "Kandi Man" – Michael Olowokandi
• "KG" – Kevin Garnett (his initials)
• "Kid n' Play"-Kevin Martin
• "Kid Canada" – Steve Nash
• "Kid Delicious" - Kevin Durant
• "Killer" – Reggie Miller
• "King James" – LeBron James
• "Killer Ray" – Ray Allen
• "King of Clutch" – Reggie Miller
• "King of Dullness" – Tim Duncan
• "K-Mart" – Kenyon Martin and Kevin Martin
• "The Kobe Stopper" – Ruben Patterson (based on his defensive performances on Kobe Bryant)\
• "Ko-Me" – Kobe Bryant
• "K-Smoove" – Kevin Durant
• "The Lethal Lithuanian" – Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
• "Little Ben" – Ben Gordon
• "The Little Engine" – T.J. Ford
• "Little General" – Avery Johnson
• "Little New York"- Carmelo Anthony
• "LJ" – Larry Johnson
• "Lo" – Lamar Odom
• "(The) L-Train" – Lionel Simmons
• "L-Train" – Lamarcus Aldridge
• "Larry Legend" – Larry Bird
• "Le Roi" (French for "The King") – Antoine Rigaudeau
• "The lord of the rings" – Kobe Bryant
• "Lu" – Luol Deng
• "The Machine" – Sasha Vujacic
• "Mad Dog" – Mark Madsen
• "Mad Max" – Jason Maxiell
• "Madison Square Gordon" – Ben Gordon
• "Maggette Machete" – Corey Maggette
• "Magic" – Earvin Johnson
• "Il Mago"- Andrea Bargnani (Italian translation – "The Magician"
• "The Mailman" – Karl Malone ("A Mailman always delivers")
• "The Mamba" – Kobe Bryant
• "The Man Child" -Greg Oden
• "Massiv Micky D" - Michael Wardrop
• "McNasty – Jeff McInnis
• "MightyMouse" – Damon Stoudamire
• "The Machine" – Sasha Vujacic (for his ability to suspend in the air)
• "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 Meal Ticket"- Pau Gasol
• "The Meeks" – Chamique Holdsclaw, Semeka Randall, and Tamika Catchings; used when all three were teammates at the University of Tennessee
• "Melo" – Carmelo Anthony
• "Memo Man" – Ramon Sessions (because of the career highs he sets every game)
• "The Microwave" – Vinnie Johnson ("gets hot instantly")
• "The Rash" – Bruce Bowen (for his close defense)
• "Mighty Mouse" – Damon Stoudamire
• "Miller Time" – Reggie Miller
• "The Ming Dynasty" – Yao Ming
• "Miracle" – Milt Palacio
• "Mitch The Bitch" – Mitch Richmond (he's a bitch to guard)
• "The Mitten" – Gary Payton (in his later playing years)
• "Mr. 4th Quarter" – Ben Gordon (for his 4th quarter heroics)
• "Mr. Big Shot" – Chauncey Billups
• "Mr. Clutch" – Jerry West
• "Mr. Incredible" – Mike Dunleavy
• "Mr. Perfect" – Jeff Green
• "MJ" – Michael Jordan (initials)
• "The Money Man" – Mehmet Okur
• "Money Mike Jr." – Mike Conley Jr.
• "Monster Mash" – Jamal Mashburn; a play on his surname with the Bobby Pickett song, "Monster Mash"
• "Mongoose Quick Rick" – Ricky Davis
• "Moochie" – Martyn Norris
• "Mookie" – Daron Blaylock
• "Mo Pete" – Morris Peterson
• "MP2" – Mickaël Piétrus
• "Moore Bang For Your Buckets" – Mikki Moore
• "My Pet Maxiell" – Jason Maxiell
• "Nacho" – Gilbert Arenas; from the movie Nacho Libre
• "Nash Daddy" – Steve Nash
• "Nashty" – Steve Nash
• "Never Nervous Pervis" Pervis Ellison ( aka "Out of Service Pervis.")
• "The Natural" – Mike Dunleavy
• "Nick at Night" – Nick Van Exel
• "Nick the Quick" – Nick Van Exel
• "Nickel" – Anfernee Hardaway
• "Nique" – Dominique Wilkins
• "Noch" – Andres Nocioni
• "The Ocho" – Jose Calderon
• "Oh My Bosh!!" – Chris Bosh
• "One Cent" – Anfernee Hardaway
• "Pauuuuuer Pau"-Pau Gasol
• "Pau Pau Powerwheels" – Pau Gasol
• "Potneet Martin – Darrick Martin
• "Penny" – Anfernee Hardaway
• "PG2010" – Pau Gasol
• "Pip" – Scottie Pippen
• "Pistol Pete" – Pete Maravich
• "Pitchin' Paul" – Paul Arizin
• "Pit Bull" – Mike James
• "Plastic Man" – Stacey Augmon
• "The Prince of Darkness" – Bill Laimbeer
• "Prince of Mid-Air" – World B. Free
• "The Prince of the Palace" – Tayshaun Prince (The Pistons court is "The Palace of Auburn Hills")
• "The Prophet" – Frank Celeste
• "Psycho T" – Tyler Hansbrough
• "Q" – Quentin Richardson
• "Q-Rich" – Quentin Richardson
• "The Rain Man" – Ray Allen (His shots always drip, like rain)
• "Rampant Ron" – Ron Artest
• "Ray-Ray"- Ray Allen
• "The Red Rocket" – Matt Bonner
• "Redd Hot" – Michael Redd
• "Rambo" – Marco Belinelli
• "Redz" – Delonte West
• "Reef" – Shareef Abdur-Rahim
• "The Reignman" – Shawn Kemp
• "The Riddler" – Zydrunas Ilgauskas
• "Rip" – Richard Hamilton
• "Ron Ron" – Ron Artest
• "Rooney" – Šarūnas Marčiulionis
• "Roscoe" – Rasheed Wallace
• "The Round Mound of Rebound" – Charles Barkley
• "RJ" -Richard Jefferson (His initials)
• "Run of the Millsap – Paul Millsap
• "R-Wall" – Rasheed Wallace
• "Saba" or "Sabas" – Arvydas Sabonis
• "Sam I Am" – Sam Cassell
• "Saras" or "Sharas" – Šarūnas Jasikevičius
• "Satch" or "Satch Sanders" – Tom Sanders, Boston Celtics 1960-1973
• "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
• "Skillson" - Jeremy Wilson
• "Skip to My Lou" – Rafer Alston
• " The Slovenian Butterfly"- Primoz Brezec, a description of his tenacity on the court
• "The Slave" – Paul Millsap
• "Smooth" – Larry Hughes
• "Snap Crackle & Pop" – Pape Sow
• "The Spanish Armada" – Jorge Garbajosa and Jose Calderon
• "Spanish Chocolate" – Sergio Rodriguez (A reference to his Spanish background, and a play, given their similar eye-catching games, to Jason 'White Chocalate' Williams
• "Special K" – Kelenna Azubuike
• "Speedy" – Craig Claxton
• "Spider" – John Salley
• "Spud" – Spud Webb
• "The 'Stache" – Adam Morrison (for his much-scrutinised moustache)
• "Starbury" – Stephon Marbury
• "Starvin Marvin" – Marvin Williams
• "STAT" – Amare Stoudemire (Standing Tall and Talented)
• "The Stro Show" – Stromile Swift
• "Stevie Franchise" – Steve Francis
• "Studley" – Jared Dudley
• "Sugar" – Ray Allen
• "Sunshine" - Callum Iles
• "Superman" – Dwight Howard (Received the nickname in Sprite Slam Dunk Competition 2008 – Saturday, February 16, 2008)
• "Tee Bee" – Terrell Brandon
• "Texas Tornado"- TJ Ford
• "The Answer"- Allen Iverson
• "The Baby Maker" – Shawn Kemp
• "The Hammer" – Kris Humphries
• "The Owl without a Vowel" – Bill Mlkvy
• "The Truth" – Paul Pierce (Having witnessed Pierce play one night, Shaquille O'Neal quoted "Paul Pierce is The Truth")
• "The Vanilla Gorilla" – Joel Przybilla
• "Thunder Dan" – Dan Majerle
• "The Man from Sudan" – Luol Deng
• "The mayor" – Chauncey Billups
• "Tim Bug" – Tim Hardaway
• "Timmay" – Tim Duncan
• "Tiny" – Nate Archibald
• "T-Mac" – Tracy McGrady
• "Too Easy" – Baron Davis
• "Tough Juice" – Caron Butler
• "TP" – Tony Parker
• "Tractor" – Robert Traylor
• "Troy Toy" – Troy Murphy
• "T-Tom" – Tim Thomas
• "Ukraine Train" – Vitaly Potapenko
• "Uncle Cliffy" – Cliff Robinson
• "Veal" – Brian Scalabrine
• "Videogame James" – Lebron James (It was first said by Drew Gooden after Lebron took over game 5.)
• "Vinsanity" – Vince Carter
• "Virgin Man" – A.C. Green
• "The Waiter" – Toni Kukoc
• "Wally World" – Wally Szczerbiak
• "White Chocolate" – Jason Williams
• "The White Guy on the Kinicks" – Travis Knight
• "The (Current) White Guy on the Knicks" – David Lee
• "White Mamba" – Sasha Vujacic (reference to his more famous teammate Kobe Bryant's nickname "Black Mamba"]
• "White Mike" – Mike Miller
• "Wild Thing" – Anderson Varejão
• "Wild Wild West" – Delonte West
• "Wilt the Stilt" – Wilt Chamberlain
• "The Wounded Deer"- Primoz Brezec
• "World's Greatest" – Ha Seung-Jin
• "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
• "Young Thunder" – Dwight Howard
• "Z" – Žydrūnas Ilgauskas
• "Z-Bo" – Zach Randolph
• "Zeke" – Isiah Thomas
• "Zo" – Alonzo Mourning

[edit] First name basis

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

• Alonzo – Alonzo Mourning
• Amare – Amare Stoudemire
• Andray – Andray Blatche
• Baron – Baron Davis
• Carmelo – Carmelo Anthony
• Chauncey – Chauncey Billups
• Dirk – Dirk Nowitzki
• Gilbert – Gilbert Arenas
• Hakeem – Hakeem Olajuwon
• Isiah – Isiah Thomas
• Hedo – Hidayet Turkoglu
• Kareem – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Kobe – Kobe Bryant
• Kwame – Kwame Brown
• Lamar – Lamar Odom
• Larry – Larry Bird
• Leandro – Leandro Barbosa
• LeBron – LeBron James
• Magic – Earvin Johnson
• Manu – Manu Ginobili (A contraction of his real first name of Emanuel.)
• Memo – Mehmet Okur
• 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.)
• Patrick – Patrick Ewing
• Pau – Pau Gasol
• Penny – Anfernee Hardaway
• Peja – Peja Stojaković (This is a common nickname in his homeland of Serbia for his real first name of Predrag.)
• Raja – Raja Bell
• Rasheed – Rasheed Wallace
• Rashard – Rashard Lewis
• Reggie – Reggie Miller
• Shareef – Shareef Abdur-Rahim
• Shaq – Shaquille O'Neal
• Speedy – Speedy Claxton
• Stephon – Stephon Marbury
• Troy – Troy Murphy
• Vince – Vince Carter
• Vinny – Vin Baker
• Yao – Yao Ming

[edit] Teams

• Baby Bulls – Chicago Bulls
• Jail Blazers, Blazers – Portland Trail Blazers
• Cavs – Cleveland Cavaliers
• The Defenders – Detroit Pistons
• The Dubs- Golden State Warriors
• Knicks – New York Knickerbockers ("Knickerbockers" is the team's rarely-used legal name.)
• Lakes, Lake Show – Los Angeles Lakers
• Mavs – Dallas Mavericks
• Raps – Toronto Raptors
• Nugs – Denver Nuggets
• Sixers – Philadelphia 76ers
• Sonics, Supes – Seattle SuperSonics
• Showtime – Los Angeles Lakers 80's
• Texas Warriors – San Antonio Spurs
• T'Wolves – Minnesota Timberwolves
• The Wiz – Washington Wizards
• Celts – Boston Celtics
• C's- Boston Celtics
• The Others Boston Celtics
• Rox – Houston Rockets

[edit] Courts

• ACC – Air Canada Centre
• Brick House – Staples Center (because of the frequent number of bad shots taken)
• Il Madison – Land Rover Arena (Bologna, Italy); a play on Madison Square Garden
• MSG – Madison Square Garden
• The World's Most Famous Arena – Madison Square Garden
• The Mecca – Madison Square Garden
• The Phone Booth – Verizon Center in Washington, DC
• The House That Jordan Built- United Center in Chicago
• The Roaracle- Oracle Arena in Oakland
• The Q – Quicken Loans Arena
• The Key – Key Arena
• The Purple Palace – US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ
• The HATCH – TD Banknorth Garden Boston, MA
• The ToyBox – Toyota Center in Houston

[edit] Moves

• Le dunk de la mort (French for "The Dunk of Death") – Vince Carter's famous dunk at the 2000 Olympics in which he literally jumped over 7'2"/2.18 m French center Frédéric Weis
• The "Hinrich Maneuver" – Kirk Hinrich's dribbling toward the basket trying to make a play
• The "Bulletproof Dunk"- Baron Davis's electrifying dunk on Andre "AK-47" Kirilenko, during Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors/Utah Jazz series in the 2007 NBA Playoffs.
• The "Lister Blister" – A highlight dunk made by Shawn Kemp over Alton Lister in the mid-1990s
• The "The Killer Crossover"- A crossover dribble move used by former NBA great Tim Hardaway
• The "Shammgod"- A crossover dribble move used by former NBA player God Shammgod
• The "Black Tornado" – A spin move used once by Shaquille O'Neal.
• The "Steve Nash" – Dribbling under the basket and out the other side and still dribbling, looking for a pass.
• The "J-Kidd"" Double – The often occurring sequence where Jason Kidd grabs a rebound, fast breaks it up court and earns an assist, bringing him closer to yet another triple double
• The "Dream Shake" – A highlight move made by Hakeem Olajuwon that consisted of 2 fakes.
• The "Shanghai Shake" – A fake spin move made by Yao Ming that ends with a fade away jump shot.
• "With No Regard for Human Life" Dunk – A powerful slam dunk by Lebron James made popular by commentator Kevin Harlan after Lebron James threw down a thunderous dunk over Kevin Garnett and James Posey to seal the win in Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semi-finals.

[edit] See also

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

[edit] Notes