NBA's Top 50 Nicknames
Brian "The Custodian" Cardinal, LeBron "King" James and Kobe "The Black Mamba" Bryant are some of the league's most recognizable nicknames. But are they the best?
There are a lot of great monikers in the NBA and some aren't that well known. From the highly publicized to the obscure, here are the top 50 nicknames currently in the league...
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50: LeBron "King" James
1 of 51I know he hasn't really earned the nickname, but it's pretty clever, right?
49: Paul "The Truth" Pierce
2 of 51Paul Pierce's ridiculous acting in the 2008 NBA Finals was the furthest thing from "The Truth," but plenty of people still dig this moniker.
48: Sasha "The Machine" Vujacic
3 of 51Since he dubbed himself "The Machine", this nickname doesn't carry a ton of weight.
47: Leandro "The Brazilian Blur" Barbosa
4 of 51Barbosa is one of the fastest players in the league and he's from Brazil.
46: Kevin "The Durantula" Durant
5 of 51I feel like a better nickname has to be comin' around the bend for Durant soon.
45: Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant
6 of 51Frankly, I think it's one of the corniest nicknames we've ever seen. This name would be perfect for a member of White Goodman's Purple Cobras.
44: Andrea "Il Mago" Bargnani
7 of 51"Il Mago" means "The Magician." If Bargnani could magically improve his rebounding, he'd be one of the league's best big men.
43: Channing "Buffet of Goodness" Frye
8 of 51Here is another self-appointed nickname. It's supposed to be a credit to Frye's all-around game, but he seems to be something of a one-trick pony in Phoenix (those threes).
42: Glen "Big Baby" Davis
9 of 51"Big Baby" is notorious for his outrageous and bizarre facial expressions.
41: Richard "Rip" Hamilton
10 of 51Will "Rip" Hamilton be able to revive his career outside of Detroit? He has to be one of the first guys traded after the lockout, right?
40: Zach "Z-Bo" Randolph
11 of 51Z-Bo and the Grizzlies are on the rise. If everyone stays healthy, they could definitely win a first-round series next year.
39: Daniel "Boobie" Gibson
12 of 51Childhood nicknames generally aren't basketball related, but when a moniker essentially takes the place of the given name, it deserves some credit.
38: Joe "Cool" Johnson
13 of 51Joe "Cool" is the man in Atlanta. Next year, they could use a little less cool and a little more edge out of their best player.
37: Dwyane "Flash" Wade
14 of 51Wade said he didn't want to be called "Flash" anymore, but his reason is stupid and we shouldn't honor it.
36: Ray "Jesus Shuttlesworth" Allen
15 of 51It's not technically a nickname, just a character the man portrayed.
35: Danilo "The Rooster" Gallinari
16 of 51Actually, "Gallo" sounds cooler but that Spanish word translates to "Rooster" in English.
34: Glenn "Doc" Rivers
17 of 51Best coach nickname in the league? Now that Phil "The Zen Master" Jackson has retired, this honor may be Doc's.
33: Steve "Hair Canada" Nash
18 of 51He's from Canada and his hair is a big deal from time to time.
32: Tim "The Big Fundamental" Duncan
19 of 51In his prime, Duncan's top-notch fundamentals led the Spurs to four championships.
31: Chris "Caveman" Kaman
20 of 51Chris Kaman really needs to bring those locks back.
30: "Captain" Kirk Hinrich
21 of 51I don't know if he's ever been the captain of an NBA team, but this nickname was inevitable either way.
29: Michael "B-Easy" Beasley
22 of 51This name really seems to fit Beasley's smooth game and hip-hop style.
28: Chauncey "Mr. Big Shot" Billups
23 of 51Chauncey has hit tons of big shots in his career, and plenty of them led to a title in '04.
27: Kevin "The Big Ticket" Garnett
24 of 51Kevin Garnett was, without a doubt, the biggest reason people bought tickets to T'Wolves games for years.
26: Caron "Tough Juice" Butler
25 of 51I'm hoping the Mavs bring "Tough Juice" back. With him, Rodrigue Beaubois, Jason Terry and Brendan Haywood coming off the bench, Dallas will be favorites to win it all again.
25: Allen "The Answer" Iverson
26 of 51Iverson came into the league surrounded by a ton of hype.
He played as hard as anyone I've ever seen, but his me-first attitude never proved to be a good "Answer" for any of the teams he played for.
24: Josh "J-Smoove" Smith
27 of 51His game is pretty smooth. So much so that the nicknaming powers that be replaced the "th" with a "ve."
23: Kris "Humpty-Hump" Humphries
28 of 51My sister and my wife don't think they look good together. I, for one, just find them adorable (that was the worst humor I've ever attempted on Bleacher Report).
22: Stephen "Action" Jackson
29 of 51This dude's action helps him get off a lot of shots.
21: Rashard "Sweet Lew" Lewis
30 of 51He's faded a little bit over the last couple years, but there was a time when his game was about as sweet as anyone's. He has the contract to prove it.
20: Shawn "The Matrix" Marion
31 of 51I love Marion, but his jump shot could only go in if some sort of alternate existence was involved.
19: Adam "Ammo" Morrison
32 of 51I don't think anyone gave him a good enough chance to fire off that ammo.
18: Brian "The Custodian" Cardinal
33 of 51Will the Mavs bring "The Custodian" back for some more down and dirty duty?
17: James "Jimmer" Fredette
34 of 51Prepare to hear announcers scream "Jimmer" after several treys a game.
16: Marcin "The Polish Hammer" Gortat
35 of 51It blows my mind that the Suns never made Gortat the permanent starter over Robin Lopez.
15: Manu "Obi-Wan" Ginobili
36 of 51If people used this nickname more, Manu would really annoy me less.
14: Brandon "The Natural" Roy
37 of 51Roy's injury problems are a real shame. His game looked so smooth and effortless before.
13: "Krypto" Nate Robinson
38 of 51He earned his nickname by donning green and leaping over Dwight "Superman" Howard.
12: Gerald "Crash" Wallace
39 of 51I don't know if his nickname has anything to do with this video-game character, but it should.
11: Chris "Birdman" Andersen
40 of 51The nickname itself is pretty cool. The way Andersen flaunts it is not.
10: Vince "Vinsanity" Carter
41 of 51Carter has had a few nicknames in his career. He's been known as "Half-Man, Half-Amazing" and "Air Canada," but "Vinsanity" is his best.
9: Jason "White Chocolate" Williams
42 of 51There aren't many nicknames that seem to fit the player quite as well as Jason Williams' "White Chocolate."
8: Ron "TruWarrior" Artest
43 of 51Or is his name Metta World Peace?
7: Gilbert "Agent Zero" Arenas
44 of 51A lot of people say that Arenas' nickname is representative of his enigmatic nature. To me, it's more about the fact that he wore the number for so long.
6: Matt "The Red Rocket" Bonner
45 of 51He led the league in three-point percentage last year with very ugly form. He launches the ball from his shoulder (get it?).
5: Andrei "AK-47" Kirilenko
46 of 51I'm typically not a big fan of the modern nickname trend that just puts initials and numbers together, but this one works on another level.
An AK-47 is a famous Russian rifle and Andrei Kirilenko is a famous Russian basketball player who wears No. 47...get it?
4: Baron "Boom Dizzle" Davis
47 of 51Once upon a time, Baron Davis was really explosive and "Boom Dizzle" sounds cool after a dunk.
3: "The Blake Show" Griffin
48 of 51Griffin became one of the most popular and exciting players in the league within the first couple weeks of his rookie year.
2: Luke "Frodo" Ridnour
49 of 51I'm pretty sure he could've played the part more convincingly than Elijah Wood (that's a dis on Wood, not Ridnour).
1: Joel "The Vanilla Gorilla" Przybilla
50 of 51One of the most underrated big men in the league, the "Vanilla Gorilla" has averaged 11 boards and three blocks per 36 minutes for his career.
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