Rankings the best NBA nicknames of all time

18. Boogie

One of the most versatile and skilled big men in league history, DeMarcus Cousins has also been one of its most polarizing. His time in Sacramento, during which he never led his team to the playoffs despite colossal box scores, cemented his status as something of a problem, as he never really gelled with any coach aside from Mike Malone. As eye-popping as his stats could be, his frequent run-ins with seemingly everybody slammed him with a troubling reputation with the Kings. His seemingly temperamental nature led to his eventual exit via trade last season, and he was re-born in New Orleans alongside fellow Kentucky Wildcat Anthony Davis.

It was at Kentucky that assistant coach and ex-NBA point guard Rod Strickland gave him the nickname Boogie after watching Cousins perform moves typically reserved for guards. His artistry around the basket and exquisite footwork are rhythmic in nature. The man is a basketball player by trade and a dancer in spirit. “Boogie” is perfect and continues to be so as Cousins continues to add to his deadly arsenal of spin moves, off-the-dribble trickery and general excitability.

An Achilles injury has prevented him from contributing to his team’s playoff push this year, which is an immense shame given how he and Davis had coalesced to make perhaps the NBA’s most skilled and formidable front court. In New Orleans, Cousins has been re-born, shedding further light on the dysfunction in Sacramento and lending credence to his own, misunderstood character. Boogie deserves to be happy for all the happiness he brings us.