92 Best NBA Nicknames

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.