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There are many things we like about Basketball Reference, but one of our favorites is the work they put into compiling nicknames (some popular, some very obscure) for NBA players throughout history. We investigated which ones have the most. At No. 1 …
There are many things we like about Basketball Reference, but one of our favorites is the work they put into compiling nicknames (some popular, some very obscure) for NBA players throughout history.
We investigated which ones have the most.
At No. 1 on the list, you will see Sixers legend Darryl Dawkins, though he kind of cheated by creating many of his nicknames himself. Among active players, LeBron James leads with nine nicknames. Ben Simmons follows closely behind with eight.
Nicknames are an integral part of basketball culture.
An NBA nickname is more important to a player’s career than some people might realize. Iconic nicknames from “Iceman,” “Dr. J,” and “Magic” to “Timelord,” “The Beard” and the “Slim Reaper,” what a player is called is tied into how broadcasters talk about them, how fans perceive them and even their endorsement deals.
Nicknames are an integral part of basketball culture, like titles of honor, and can even evolve into brands, contributing to a player’s marketability. On a recent episode of The Player’s Tribune “Knuckleheads” podcast, hosts Q and D talked to Gary Payton, James Worthy, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Terry, Kemba Walker and more about their famous monikers.
Check out the clip embedded below to hear the conversation in full.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
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We have to admit, ‘New Big Three’ was pretty ho-hum, as good as they were on the court.
As far as nicknames go, “The New Big Three” is not exactly at the top of anyone’s list for the most creative NBA group monikers ever devised. But sometimes, what sticks is how such groups are remembered, as was the case with the driving forces behind the Boston Celtics’ hanging of Banner 17,
For just a moment, that trio — Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce — tried to transgress the fundamental law of nicknames by coming up with one for themselves as part of ESPN’s iconic “This is SportsCenter” long-running ad series.
In the spot, the trio barge into the offices of ESPN to workshop several such names with Scott Van Pelt. You have to watch this clip to see what might have been.
“The Three Amigos” might have been the catchiest, but it certainly did not pan out that way after a recently-healed rift would later open between the trio, so perhaps “The New Big Three” was the right call, after all.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9j5EsPSRntA
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
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It narrowly won out over ‘UniKornet’.
You don’t get to choose your own nickname, but you can come to terms with what the masses have selected on your behalf, which Boston Celtics reserve big man Luke Kornet got to find out firsthand on the Celtics’ 2022 Media Day on Monday.
Speaking with NBC Sports Boston on whether he prefers to be called the UniKornet or the Green Kornet, the Vanderbilt product seemed torn. “The problem with ‘the Green Kornet’ is to be Hornet, (it’d be) ‘core net,’ but it’s ‘CORE-net,’ suggested the Celtics center with plenty of emphasis on the first syllable in the latter example. “So, I’m going to go with ‘UniKornet,’ he added.
Almost as soon as the words left his lips, Kornet appeared to change his mind, however. “It’s more appropriate for Green (Kornet with the Celtics),” he second-guessed, playing with the contours of his name and current situation.
PHOTOS: Images captured from the Boston Celtics’ 2022-23 season Media Day https://t.co/GWJm6DopLH
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 27, 2022
“I’m phlegmatic as my wife will tell you, so indecision can be an issue,” he joked. “Okay, I’ll do ‘Green Kornet’ because it definitely makes the most sense with the Celtics, and it’s a fun, creative nickname.”
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
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The origin story for the former Vol’s alter ego was not quite on the money, a fact revealed by the Celtics swingman in a recent interview.
Boston Celtics reserve forward Grant Williams has made a name for himself as the team’s resident fan of geeky stuff, from the nerdy board game “Settlers of Catan” to his predilection toward comic books. All are a badge the Charlotte native wears proudly.
So when news emerged that the former Tennessee start reportedly dubbed himself “Batman” after an impressive outing against Denver Nuggets superstar big man Nikola Jokic, Williams received a fair amount of ribbing externally for the nickname while his teammates were supportive for the most part. But the origin story for the former Vol’s alter ego was not quite on the money, a fact revealed by the Celtics swingman in a recent interview with Heavy’s Jack Simone.
Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear more about Williams’ batman nickname and how it got started for yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jqG40Q45ZEQ
Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
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The two former rivals share an affinity for The Truth, it seems.
One of the more intense inter-player rivalries of the last several decades was between former Miami Heat champion Dwyane Wade and Hall of Fame Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce, with the two stars going at it on the court throughout the lengths of their professional careers no matter the team they were with.
And that rivalry spilled into their retirement, with some acrimony over who had the better career overall leaking into the narratives surrounding their respective recent retirements. But when it comes to NBA nicknames, Wade is willing to concede that Pierce has one of the best — his personal first choice, actually, when asked about that topic in a recent question-and-answer session he conducted in a video for Wired.
Watch the clip embedded below to hear all the former Heat guard had to say about NBA nicknames, The Truth, and more.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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Saints great Craig “Ironhead” Heyward recognized on list of NFL’s best-ever nicknames
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A lot of players have left their mark on the NFL, and many of them left with great nicknames. But who owns the best? And which New Orleans Saints legends would you rank highest?
Thomas Neumann put together an expansive list over at Touchdown Wire, making his picks for the 101 greatest nicknames in NFL history. And just one Saints player made his list: Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, at No. 20. Here’s what Neumann wrote of Heyward:
Not only did longtime NFL running back Craig Heyward have a terrific nickname, but there also was an awesome backstory behind it. One of Heyward’s sons, current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, relayed the story in a 2016 article. It seems young Craig got into a scuffle, and an antagonist broke a pool cue over his head. Unfazed, he didn’t flinch, which led Craig’s mother to dub him Ironhead. After rushing for 3,086 yards in three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, Craig was drafted No. 24 overall by the New Orleans Saints in 1988. He went on to record 5,860 yards from scrimmage and 34 total touchdowns in 11 pro seasons with the Saints, Bears, Falcons, Rams and Colts.
Heyward is well remembered among Saints fans even to this day, but he isn’t the only member of the black and good to rock a great nickname. What about the “Quiet Storm” Marques Colston, one of the most underrated receivers to ever play the game? He who let his play speak for itself and who caught more passes for more yards than Donald Driver in 2007 and scored almost six times as many touchdowns as the big-name Packers wideout, only to be overlooked in that year’s Pro Bowl voting?
Some Saints diehards still remember Super Bowl XLIV champion blocking tight end and part-time fullback David Thomas, nicknamed “Wendy’s” in honor of the fast food chain’s founder, Dave Thomas. Or Mike “The Predator” McKenzie, whose signature hairstyle and fiery playstyle invoked the sci-fi alien’s dreadlocks? And who can forget Josh “Playoffs” Hill, who doubled his receiving yards-per-game average in the postseason?
To say nothing of Alex Anzalone, whose last name was (affectionately?) spun off as “Autozone,” “Calzone,” and some profane variants we can’t put in print here, depending on how well he was playing at the time. “Thor” would have been the easy pick given his luscious blond locks, but Saints fans are (sometimes) too creative to take such low-hanging fruit.
In any case, there are more great nicknames in Saints history than we have time to recount. So which ones stand out to you? Who will you remember to tell your grandkids about someday?
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The Green Bay Packers franchise has helped produce some of the most iconic nicknames in the history of the NFL.
Touchdown Wire’s list of the top 101 nicknames in NFL history is littered with current or former members of the Green Bay Packers.
Many are among the most iconic in the sport’s history.
Here are all the Packers that made the list:
The NFL Wire listed the top 101 nicknames in NFL history and a few former 49ers landed on the list.
The 49ers were well-represented on the NFL Wire’s list of the top 101 nicknames in NFL history. While no current players made the cut, four former 49ers were on the list.
San Francisco’s four representatives on the list are Richard Sherman, OJ Simpson, Joe Montana and Frank Gore.
This is where each member of that group ranked on the list curated by Touchdown Wire’s Thomas Neumann:
Mixed into some of the more familiar ones are some VERY creative — and predictable — aliases.
When we hear nicknames for our favorite Boston Celtics players like “Timelord,” “Don’t Google” or “Fast PP,” we know exactly who is being referred to immediately. But when it comes to the names the team calls each other, we might not know as much as we would otherwise.
With such creative aliases as Big Head, Bubba, Bandicoot, The Goat, Big Belly, J-Mac or Big Smoke, you’d have to work hard to guess who they might be. Others — like Big Tack, Pogo Stick, Big Deuce, No Fall or Nesquick — aren’t especially tough to decipher. And still others are simply the nicknames we fans use as well, like Juice or Smarty.
No comment from rookie point guard Payton Pritchard on the staying power of “Fast PP,” though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRRvhT9Q96M
Watch the video yourself to see if you can guess who the more obscure nicknames refer to — some of them are harder than you might think!
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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