27. “Z-Bo” Zach Randolph
Zach Randolph has been one of the more prominent figures in the league over the past decade, even if he’s never exactly been one of the 10 best players in the league over that time. His personality, physical presence, and unique brand of basketball have always endeared him to fans no matter where he’s played. But perhaps his greatest attribute is his absolutely perfectly fitting nickname of “Z-Bo.”
The nickname comes from a play off the character D-Bo in the movie Friday. Randolph once said that he was given the nickname as a kid by his friends right after the movie had just come out when his peers observed that he looked like D-Bo riding around on his bike. That morphed into them taking the “Z” from his first name and Randolph being called Z-Bo.
What’s great about the name besides the value of having a short, decisive moniker to go by is the fact that comparing Randolph to the character of D-Bo really isn’t much of a stretch at all. Randolph has always made his bones in the NBA by being a gritty player who’s never going to take any crap from anyone in any capacity. Having a nickname that so aptly reflects that only makes the nickname and Randolph himself more memorable.
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