A look at the 30 greatest NBA nicknames in the history of the league
The NBA has seen greatness take many forms over the course of its illustrious history. From great teams to great players to great moments, there might not be a professional sports league (at least this side of the Atlantic Ocean) that lends itself to more lasting moments of greatness than the NBA. However, one way that the league has thrived over the years is in creating stars or important figures out of its players. Along with this has come many of the greatest nicknames in sports history.
Perhaps it has to do with how the NBA has marketed their stars or even the culture of the game of basketball lending itself to nicknames. However, it simply seems that there is a higher concentration of nicknames in the history of the NBA than in many other sports leagues in the U.S. More specifically there a higher concentration of memorable and/or great nicknames among NBA players than in other sports.
Nicknames in the NBA and in sports as a whole can be hugely beneficial to a player. Finding the right nickname has a number of positive effects on a player’s marketability and, more simply, their stardom. A perfect nickname, as we’ve seen on numerous occasions throughout the history of the Association, can become so popular that is supplants a player’s actual name in terms of what fans refer to or know him as.
By no means is a nickname great simply because it’s an NBA player. A perfect example of this is undoubtedly Corey Maggette. Regardless of what you have to say about Maggette as a former NBA player, there’s no escaping that his nickname, “Bad Porn,” is one of the more perplexing (and inexplicable) monikers to have ever been used. Don’t get me wrong; it’s hilarious, but no one was ever talking to their friends about Maggette and saying, “Hey, did you see what ‘Bad Porn’ did last night?”
For all of the “Bad Porns” that have come through the ranks of the NBA, though, there have been a near uncountable number of nicknames that have been just incredible. Those are the ones that we’re concerned with in comprising this list.
There are many nicknames that are admittedly fantastic that didn’t make it into the top-30 for a number of reasons. One particular example is “The Logo” Jerry West. The nickname, derived from the fact that it is West’s silhouette that was used to design the NBA’s signature red, white, and blue logo, is absolutely phenomenal. However, the logo itself didn’t even come into existence until 1969, just five years before West retired from the league. The nickname really didn’t even catch on until after that, as well. In my book, that takes it down quite a few pegs.
Moreover, a nickname such as Andrei “AK-47” Kirilenko is, in a vacuum, pretty incredible considering that he wore No. 47. However, Kirilenko chose the No. 47 essentially so that nickname could be a thing. The same goes for Paul George right now and his newfound “PG-13” moniker. While cool, setting yourself up so that you have a nickname seems a bit too forced as opposed to some of the more organically developed nicknames.
Keeping all of that in mind, these are the 30 NBA nicknames in history that stand above the rest as the greatest of all time.
Next: No. 30 The White Mamba