Best Nicknames in Sports Right Now
The Answer. The Round Mound of Rebound. Megatron. The Mailman. Big Papi. Heck, The Pillsbury Throwboy.
The best nicknames in sports have legacies of their own. Each of the above names not only brought the exact player to mind for fans, but likely sparked more than a few memories.
Wildly enough, each of the above names now belongs to a retired player. The legends persist, but there remain many epic nicknames active today. These players have earned their monikers for well-deserved reasons and will stand long remembered.
Many will only further entrench the epic nicknames in the minds of sports fans. For now, here are the absolute best nicknames in sports right now.
Swaggy P
1 of 10Sometimes known as: Nick Young
Come on, the guy responsible for the above video is a 31-year-old man who calls himself Swaggy P.
How great is that? Certainly better than something like Metta World Peace, right?
So what does it mean? Come on, man.
ESPN's Arash Markazi had Nick Young explain it: "It's biblical. It's in the old testament. The prophet of swag."
We're done here.
Clipboard Jesus
2 of 10
Sometimes known as: Charlie Whitehurst
Come on, look at this guy.
Generally speaking, 2+2 = 4. Meaning, Charlie Whitehurst has the look going for him and a career 55.3 completion percentage with 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions has him often holding clipboards while starting quarterbacks do their thing.
Whitehurst hilariously appeared on a Last Supper painting, which he loved.
Fans should, too.
Greek Freak
3 of 10
Sometimes known as: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Simple enough, right?
Giannis Antetokounmpo is an athletic monstrosity on the court, a guy who comes in at 6’11” and 222 pounds.
Antetokounmpo doesn’t make sense, a comment meant in the nicest way possible. He can take an outlet pass, sprint the length of the hardwood in three or four steps, launch from the charity stripe and slam it home, all while avoiding defenders and looking for his teammates.
So yes, he’s a freak. He also gained Greek citizenship a few years ago. It rhymes, and Antetokounmpo is only 21 years old and getting better, so expect the nickname to stick for a long time.
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Pot Roast
4 of 10
Sometimes known as: Terrance Knighton
A run-stuffing monstrosity, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton has one of the best nicknames in any sport.
Unafraid to poke fun at himself, Knighton took the nickname and ran with it after a teammate laughed at him for asking for a pot roast on a six-hour flight during his rookie season.
Often checking in at 350 or more pounds, Knighton lived up to his nickname on the field. Few were bigger than him, and his ability to get low made him almost unstoppable in the trenches.
Knighton hasn’t retired, but he doesn’t suit up for a team right now. Something seems to suggest the 30-year-old tackle named after an awesome meal isn’t done just yet.
The Final Boss
5 of 10
Sometimes known as: Seung Hwan Oh
It doesn't matter what Seung Hwan Oh does with the St. Louis Cardinals or any other team—he has one of the best nicknames in all of sports.
Luckily for Oh, he made a strong MLB debut after coming over from South Korea. At 34 years old, he posted a 1.92 ERA with 103 strikeouts and 19 saves over 79.2 innings.
With his nickname fresh out of a video game, Oh has indeed been quite the final boss so far.
Muscle Hamster
6 of 10
Sometimes known as: Doug Martin
Here's the story of an awesome nickname a player didn't want.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Doug Martin indeed looks like a muscle hamster, which is what happens when a guy looks like one giant muscle at 5'9" and 223 pounds.
According to ESPN.com's Andrew Astleford, Martin has tried to endorse other nicknames in the past:
"Martin has made his frustration with the "Muscle Hamster" label known many times since entering the NFL as a first-round pick in 2012. His campaign against it took a twist on Oct. 21, when he publicly endorsed "Dougernaut" as his nickname. When asked Wednesday about the new moniker, Martin replied, "Better than the other one."
"
Too bad, Doug.
Muscle Hamster is a great name, and from the day his friend uttered it, Martin had to know it wasn't going anywhere.
Legatron
7 of 10
Sometimes known as: Greg Zuerlein
Fret not for the retirement of Calvin Johnson—Legatron persists to this day.
Los Angeles Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein has many nicknames, but this one tops them all. The Missouri Western product is one of the league's best at a 79.8 conversion rate with the longest kick of his career coming in at an incredible 61 yards.
So yes, Zuerlein is deserving of multiple nicknames. He sometimes goes by Greg the Leg and Young GZ, too. It's almost as if he has a nickname for every NFL record he holds, because he boasts a handful.
The most impressive? He and Sebastian Janikowski are the only players to have made two field goals of 60 or more yards.
Country Breakfast
8 of 10
Sometimes known as: Billy Butler
The best nicknames in sports might just pertain to food.
How great is this? New York Yankees designated hitter Billy Butler comes in at 6'0" and 260 pounds.
He's as strong at the plate as he sounds, with a career .290 average with 147 home runs.
Butler likes food so much he released his own brand of barbecue sauce while with the Kansas City Royals called "Billy's Hit It A Ton Barbecue Sauce," and the profits went to charity.
That's a winner, folks.
Snacks Harrison
9 of 10
Sometimes known as: Damon Harrison
One would think Damon Harrison's name revolved around something concerning New York—he spent the first three years of his career with the New York Jets before moving on to the Giants.
But Snacks Harrison will have to do.
At 6'4" and 350 pounds, this one isn't too hard to put together. Coaches apparently used to leave snacks on desks in meeting rooms to encourage Harrison to keep his weight in check.
It almost sounds mean, but boy if it didn't work—Harrison went undrafted out of William Penn and is one of the league's better success stories.
Chef Curry
10 of 10
Sometimes known as: Stephen Curry
Bestowed with great care by a guy named Aubrey Graham, who has a pretty great nickname himself (it's Drake, folks, Drake), Chef Curry is one of the best nicknames in sports today.
Forget the Splash Brothers. Forget Baby-Faced Assassin. When someone watches Stephen Curry play, a Drake song is one of the first things to come to mind.
It's the perfect nickname. Curry's usually cooking up something ridiculous. He's changing the game with it, too, while on a smaller level always finding ways to outthink opponents in highlight-worthy fashion.
Heck, the globe roasted his shoe with the same name—and it has still sold incredibly well.
Drake might be responsible for "One Dance" and "Hold On We’re Going Home," but sports fans owe him for this one.
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