Everybody loves a great nickname. Chris Berman made a name for himself at ESPN injecting catchy nicknames into his Sportscenter Highlights, back before ESPN was even really cool.
But nicknames and professional athletes go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Some nicknames, however, go together like peanut butter and pizza.
We're going to break down 50 of the most cringe-worthy nicknames bestowed upon some of the finest athletes we've known.
Here we go.
If you would like to add any to this list, hit up the comments and fire away.
No. 50: Eric "Butterbean" Esch
Al Bello/Getty Images
Let's get this straight. To be a intimidating boxer, you need an pretty sweet nickname. Muhammad Ali was "The Greatest." There was "Smokin" Joe Frazier. "Sugar Ray" Leonard. "Hitman" Thomas Hearns.
You get my point. What about "Butterbean" striking fear in your opponent there Eric?
Fail.
No. 49: Anthony "Booger" McFarland
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
You can only wonder how he got this one...
No. 48: Glen "Big Baby" Davis
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
I'm sure he was a real hit his rookie season. How many times do you think he's been called a mamma's boy?
No. 47: Mark "Action" Jackson
Jordan Strauss/Getty Images
For his on-court play or what he might have been doing off of it?
No. 46: Bryant "Big Country" Reeves
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Loved that band in the 80's.
No. 45: Tim "The Big Fundamental" Duncan
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Very appropriate, yes. Also very boring. Duncan's game, while not flashy, is exceptionally solid.
This one fits, but he deserves better.
No. 44: Gawen "Bonzi" Wells
Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Anybody know what his real first name was?
No. 43: Adam "Big Donkey" Dunn
Greg Fiume/Getty Images
No. 42: Covelli "Coco" Crisp
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Makes me hungry when I hear this one.
No. 41: Freddie "Fred Ex" Mitchell
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Ask the Eagles if he delivered. Not.
No. 40: "Shoeless" Joe Jackson
Michael Nagle/Getty Images
Was he part of the Black Sox crew that threw the 1919 World Series?
No. 39: Karl "Mailman" Malone
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Yeah, I get it. But mailman?
No. 38: "Awesome Bill From Dawsonville" Bill Elliot
Geoff Burke/Getty Images
A nod to his hometown but has us nodding off. NASCAR nicknames need to be much cooler than this one.
No. 37: Larry "The Hick From French Lick" Bird
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Not fitting for one of the best players ever.
No. 36: Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson
Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images
"Big Daddy" is just plain boring. Cecil Fielder also used this one, though his son Prince would probably disagree.
No. 35: Mark "The Bird" Fidrych
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Just doesn't scream intimidation like his 90-plus MPH fastball. RIP Birdman.
No. 34 Boris "Boom Boom" Becker
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
If I hear "Boom Boom," I'm thinking of a dancer in a night club in Cuba, not the guy who won a couple of Wimbledon titles because of his big serve.
No. 33: Jim "Chris" Everett
Tomasso Derosa/Getty Images
Not his real nickname, but it sure did spawn one of the funniest live television moments ever when Jim Rome just about got his brains bashed in.
No. 32 Toni "The Croatian Sensation" Kukoc
Doug Benc/Getty Images
Just need a little more thought into this one.
No. 31: Richard "Digger" Phelps
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
See No. 49. McFarland, Anthony.
No. 30: Elden "Easy Ed" Campbell
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
He must have been popular with the ladies. Heeeeeeeelo.
No. 29: Willie "Flipper" Anderson
Mike Powell/Getty Images
He's named after a famous dolphin. Enough said.
No. 28: Shaun White "The Flying Tomato"
Harry How/Getty Images
Between his escapades on a skateboard and a snowboard, White needs and deserves something much cooler.
No. 27: Steve "Franchise" Francis
Elsa/Getty Images
More like "Franchise Wrecker". This one just didn't fit. Super-talented player but couldn't get it together.
No. 26: David "Goldenballs" Beckham
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
Another head scratcher. Take that however you want to.
No. 25: Luis "Gonzo" Gonzalez
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
By far, my favorite muppet. Not so much for a nickname, at least with this guy. "Gonzo" should have been retired with Hunter S. Thompson.
No. 24: Mark "Sanchize" Sanchez
Justin Edmonds/Getty Images
Not sure anyone's ready to proclaim this guy as the savior. Don't get me wrong, he's not a bad player. Just not near as complete right now.
No. 23: Chris "Ice Queen" Evert
Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
Seriously? She was America's sweetheart. This moniker would seem to indicate otherwise. Just for fun, it should be "Jim."
No. 22: Elbert "Ickey Woods"
Rick Stewart/Getty Images
But wait, he brought us the "Ickey shuffle.. That should count for something.
No. 21: Lebron "King" James
Drew Hallowell/Getty Images
You haven't won anything yet, Bron. Win a title, wear a crown. It's that simple.
No. 20: Vinnie "The Microwave" Johnson
Mike Powell/Getty Images
This guy owned the ugliest jump shot in the NBA. As his nickname suggests, he could go hot or cold at any minute.
No. 19: Qadry "The Missile" Ismail
Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Misguided. Not quite the player his brother, "Rocket" Ismail was.
No. 18 John "Mr. Ed" Elway
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
I bet he still gets called this by Cleveland residents, among other things.
No. 17: Lester "The Molester" Hayes
George Rose/Getty Images
Just seems entirely inappropriate.
No. 16: Daron "Mookie" Blaylock
Tom Hauck/Getty Images
Pearl Jam's favorite basketball player. This was also the original name for their band.
No. 15: Manu "Obi Won" Ginobili
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
There can be just one Obie Wan. Sorry, Manu.
No. 14: Marquez "The Pounding Pontiff" Pope
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
Not nice to promote violence towards the head of the Catholic Church.
No. 13: "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather
Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
Nothing about boxers should be pretty. It leaves them with no cred. His other nickname, "Money" is straight, though.
No. 12: Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker
Al Bello/Getty Images
No. 11: Wayne "Roo" Rooney
Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Along with his friend Pooh Richardson, protecting the Hundred Acre wood. I guess he'd never know if he was getting booed, either.
No. 10: Chris "Spuds" Sabo
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
It was the glasses, I suppose. RIP, Spuds McKenzie
No. 9: Stephon "Starbury" Marbury
Marc Serota/Getty Images
A lot like the Steve Francis moniker, it was self-annointed and narcissistic. Didn't fit, either.
No. 8: Onterrio "The Whizzanator" Smith
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Will live in infamy for trying to cheat a drug test. Had a pretty decent NFL career going before his off-field problems became too much.
No. 7: Rod "He Hate Me" Smart
Getty Images/Getty Images
Who the hell hated him? The poster child for Vince McMahon's failed foray into professional football.
No. 6: Guy "The Flower" LaFleur
Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images
Not sure how he made it through his NHL career with that nickname.
No. 5: Manny "ManRam" Ramirez
Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images
No. 4: Shaquille "The Big Aristotle" O'Neal
Jim Rogash/Getty Images
This is one of the many nicknames fro Shaq. By far the least catchy. I'm still partial to Shaq-tus.
No. 3: Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez
Elsa/Getty Images
Just very unoriginal and kind of lazy. Didn't work on this one hard enough, kind of like when he felt like he needed to use steroids.
No. 2: Wilt "The Big Dipper" Chamberlain
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
We really had no idea how literal this was at the time.
No. 1: Randy "Big Unit" Johnson
Greg Fiume/Getty Images
You hear that? That's the sound of Brett Favre's face turning green.
Sorry, Randy. You scared the bee-jeezus out of opposing hitters, but C'mon man!
Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
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