10 Most Interesting Nicknames in NBA History

10-Tyrone Bogues (Muggsy)

Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues is the shortest player ever to play in the NBA and he is only 5″3 tall. He earned his nickname from a teammate at high school due to his outstanding stealing ability. He had pretty successful career in Nba which lasted 14 seasons. One more fact about him; he appeared in the movie “Space Jam” that Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny starred.

9-Pervis Ellison (Never Nervous) & (Out of Order)

Pervis “Never Nervous” Ellison, is one the biggest disappointments in Nba draft history. His nickname was given by his teammates beacause of his play at the University of Louisville. He was a real star at that time. Then he was drafted by Sacramento Kings as 1st pick in 1989 Nba Draft. He was said to be superstar but later he turned out to be a draft bust because of serious injuries. Actually, he had solid games when he was on court. But, he spend most of his time on the bench therefore his teammate Danny Ainge called him as “Out of Service” Pervis.  

8-Fred Hoiberg (The Mayor)

Fred Hoiberg is local hero of his hometown of Ames, Iowa. He led Ames High School basketball team to a State Championship, then he attended Iowa State University and played college basketball there. He became so popular there as well as High School, so this made him one of the most important figures of Iowa State. People loved him and gave this moniker. Then he spent 10 years in NBA with several teams. Now, The Mayor is currently coaching Iowa State basketball team, he’s come back the place where he is loved.

7-Sam Cassell (Sam I am) & (Gollum)

16 years Nba pro and 3 times Nba Champions Sam Cassell has a few nicknames. He was known as “Sam I am”, before he was called as “Gollum” by Charles Barkley. Actually i find it very offensive and i prefer to call him as Sam I am. Charles Barkley is a very funny man but sometimes, he really should keep his “original” ideas only to himself.

6-Bill Mlkvy (The Owl Without a Vowel)

Bill Mlkvy was a member of Temple University men’s basketball team (called Temple Owls). I think everything is clear now. Yes, Bill Mlkvy’s last name doesn’t contain any vowel. I like this nickname, it is creative and not offending.

5-Martyn Norris (Moochie)

Has Moochie Norris got a first name? “Martyn Norris” sounds me weird. I should be grateful to his grandfather for this catchy nickname. It is said that he was a fan of “Caleb Calloway” and loved the song “Minnie The Moocher” then he nicknamed him as “Moochie”.

4-Jerome Williams (The Junkyard Dog)

Jerome Williams never became a Nba star but he was always fans’ favorite. His talents could be limited, but he was full of ambition. He always did the dirty works (eg. stealing, defending star player…) and gained his nickname all by his efforts. Rick Mahorn, a former Detroit Pistons star, gave him this nickname when Jerome was playing for Pistons. 

3-Pete Maravich (Pistol Pete)

“Pistol Pete” (Do not confuse it with Pete Sampras’ nickname) Maravich is a real Nba legend and probably most talented, most spectacular, most creative player in Nba history. He is all-time NCAA leading scorer with 3,667 points that means average of 44.2 points per game. He got this nickname because of his shooting motion (looks like shooting pistol). The Hall of Famer, died tragically because of heart attack at the age of 40.

2-Rafer Alston (Skip To My Lou)

Rafer Alston has been playing in Nba for 9 years and if you look the statics you will see an average player. But this guy has someting more beyond the statics. Pure talent. He may be known as Rafer Alston in Nba, but in Rucker Park-New york, he is known as “skip to my lou” who is regarded one of the streetball legends. His nickname indicates his tendency to skip while dribbling the ball upcourt. I recommend you to search some mixtapes on youtube, then you will agree with me.

1-Darko Milicic (The Human Victory Cigar)

Finally, we have reached the most interesting nickname of our list. Serbian player Darko Milicic was selected as the second overall pick in the Nba 2003 draft. Cleveland selected LeBron James, then it was Detroit Piston’s turn. GM Joe Dumars, passed some talented players such as Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh (they all became allstar later) and picked Darko. This choice was recorded one of the biggest draft busts in Nba history. After loosing all faith in him, coach Larry Brown only allowed him to play last minutes of already won games. Then, inevitably, he earned (!) this quite humorous nickname. It may offend him but for me, it is cleverly given name.