NBA players can receive their nickname in many different ways. Some players are given nicknames by their family, friends, or fans. Others earn their nicknames through their on-court play, such as Shaquille O’Neal’s “Shaq” nickname, which was a shortened version of his first name.
Some players also receive nicknames based on their physical appearance, such as “The Big Diesel” for Shaquille O’Neal or “The Round Mound of Rebound” for Charles Barkley. In some cases, a player’s nickname can be a combination of their name and their playing style, such as “The Answer” for Allen Iverson or “The Black Mamba” for Kobe Bryant.
Without further ado here are the 90 best NBA nicknames of all time:
- “D-Wade” – Dwyane Wade
- “Dr. J” – Julius Erving
- “Flash” – Dwyane Wade
- “Iron Man” for Tony Parker
- “Rip” for Richard Hamilton
- “Sir Charles” – Charles Barkley
- “The Admiral” for David Robinson
- “The Answer” – Allen Iverson
- “The Answer” for Allen Iverson
- “The Beard” – James Harden
- “The Beastie” – Manute Bol
- “The Big Aristotle” – Shaquille O’Neal
- “The Big Dipper” – Wilt Chamberlain
- “The Big Dog” for Glen Robinson
- “The Big Fundamental” – Tim Duncan
- “The Big O” – Oscar Robertson
- “The Big Ticket” – Kevin Garnett
- “The Black Mamba” – Kobe Bryant
- “The Captain” – Clipper Darrell
- “The Diesel” – Shaquille O’Neal
- “The Dream” – Hakeem Olajuwon
- “The Glide” – Clyde Drexler
- “The Glove” – Gary Payton
- “The Greek Freak” – Giannis Antetokounmpo
- “The Hulk” – Shaquille O’Neal
- “The Human Highlight Film” – Dominique Wilkins
- “The Iceman” – George Gervin
- “The Jet” – Jason Richardson
- “The Killa Gorilla” – Zach Randolph
- “The King” – LeBron James
- “The Logo” – Jerry West
- “The Mailman” – Karl Malone
- “The Matrix” – Shawn Marion
- “The Mayor” – Alvin Robertson
- “The Process” – Joel Embiid
- “The Reign Man” – Shawn Kemp
- “The Stifle Tower” – Rudy Gobert
- “The Stilt” – Wilt Chamberlain
- “The Truth” – Paul Pierce
- “The Worm” – Dennis Rodman
- Chef Curry: Stephen Curry
- CP3: Chris Paul
- Flash: Dwyane Wade
- Russ – Russell Westbrook
- Spida – Donovan Mitchell
- The Admiral – David Robinson
- The Admiral: David Robinson
- The Ankle Breaker: Allen Iverson
- The Answer – Allen Iverson
- The Beard – James Harden
- The Big Aristotle – Shaquille O’Neal
- The Big Bully: Charles Barkley
- The Big Cactus: Mark West
- The Big Dipper: Wilt Chamberlain
- The Big Dog: Glenn Robinson
- The Big Fundamental – Tim Duncan
- The Big Nasty: Corliss Williamson
- The Big O: Oscar Robertson
- The Big Ticket: Kevin Garnett
- The Black Falcon: Wilson Chandler
- The Black Mamba – Kobe Bryant
- The Brow: Anthony Davis
- The Chef: Tony Parker
- The Doctor: Julius Erving
- The Dragon – Goran Dragic
- The Dream – Hakeem Olajuwon
- The Glove – Gary Payton
- The Greek Freak – Giannis Antetokounmpo
- The Hawk: Connie Hawkins
- The Houdini of the Hardwood: Magic Johnson
- The Human Highlight Reel: Dominique Wilkins
- The Iceman – George Gervin
- The King – LeBron James
- The Klaw: Kawhi Leonard
- The Logo: Jerry West
- The Mailman: Karl Malone
- The Matrix: Shawn Marion
- The Microwave: Vinnie Johnson
- The Process – Joel Embiid
- The Process: Joel Embiid
- The Round Mound of Rebound: Charles Barkley
- The Slovenian Sensation – Luka Doncic
- The Tank: Shaquille O’Neal
- The Unibrow – Anthony Davis
- The Worm: Dennis Rodman
- Uncle Drew: Kyrie Irving
- White Chocolate: Jason Williams
- Worldwide Wes: William Wesley
- Zaza: Zaza Pachulia
- Zo: Alonzo Mourning
- PG13: Paul Geroge
- Air: Michael Jordan!!!
In case this above list wasn’t enough nicknames, below is an additional bonus 54 NBA nicknames for some of our star players including MJ, LeBron, KD, Steph, and Luka.
Bonus -Michael Jordan Nicknames:
- Air Jordan
- His Airness
- MJ
- Black Cat
- Captain America
- The Greatest of All Time (GOAT)
- Money
- The Last Shot
- The Flu Game
- The Dunk King
- The Chicago Bull
- The Legend
- The G.O.A.T.
- The Defender of the Crown.
Bonus II – Luka Doncic Nicknames:
- The Matador
- El Matador
- Cool Hand
- The Don
- Wonder Boy
- El Niño Maravilla
- Swaggy L
- Luka Legend
- Too Easy
- Luka Magic
Bonus III – LeBron James Nicknames:
- King James
- LBJ
- The Chosen One
- The Akron Hammer
- The Little Emperor
- The King of Cleveland
- The New King
- The Best Basketball Player in the World
- The One
- The Best Player on the Planet
- The Best Athlete in the World
Bonus IV – Kevin Durant Nicknames
- KD
- The Slim Reaper
- Durantula
- The Servant
- The Durantula
- K-Smoove
Bonus V – Steph Curry Nicknames
- Chef Curry
- The Baby-Faced Assassin
- The Human Torch
- The MVP
- The Greatest Shooter in the World
- The Greatest Shooter in NBA History
- The King of the Three-Pointers
- The Magician
- The Maestro
- The MVP of the MVPs
- Wardell