The Best NBA Player Nicknames!

Throughout NBA history lots of players have been given nicknames that became very popular and stuck with them for the rest of their career. Here are some of the best nicknames given to current NBA players:

Spida (Donovan Mitchell)

5x NBA all-star Donovan Mitchell was drafted into the NBA in 2017, but he got the nickname "Spida" back in college by the father of one of his teammates. Mitchell says the nickname relates to his long arms and his ability to get steals. Spiderman was also one of his favorite superheroes growing up.

Mitchell's nickname "Spida" even led to him appearing in a commercial for the Spider-Man movie back in 2019. (Click here to see the commercial)

The Joker (Nikola Jokic)

6x all-star and 3x MVP Nikola Jokic is now commonly known as "The Joker". According to BleacherReport, this nickname was simply given to him because his former teammate Mike Miller had trouble pronouncing his last name "Jokic" so he started just calling him "Joker" instead. The nickname eventually became so popular that fans, players, and commentators all use it.

While the nickname "The Joker" was not directly based on the DC Comics villain, it has become so popular that fans ended up connecting the two and often even create fan art combining the two.

The Greek Freak (Giannis Antetokounmpo)

2x MVP and 8x all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo's "The Greek Freak" is one of the most popular nicknames in the NBA today. The nickname is pretty self-explanatory. "The Greek" comes from the fact that he was born in Greece, and "Freak" is simply referring to his very impressive strength, height, and basketball ability.

In an interview with ESPN, Giannis said he doesn't remember the first time the nickname was used but he likes it.

The one criticism that Giannis has of his nickname is that he is both Greek and Nigerian. He said "I like being freak, a Greek freak. But I'm also a Nigerian freak."

nba.com image)

Chef Curry (Steph Curry)

For many years now 10x all-star and 2x MVP, Steph Curry has often been referred to by fans as "Chef Curry". This nickname was first said back in 2015 in Drake's song 0 to 100 / The Catch Up where Drake raps "I been Steph Curry with the shot, Been cookin' with the sauce, Chef Curry with the pot, boy". Chef Curry quickly became a new nickname for fans to use and it has been used ever since. This nickname works especially well because when a player is scoring a lot people will often say that the player is "cooking."

King James (Lebron James)

Although he is now considered one of the best players ever, Lebron James actually got the popular nickname "King James" before he was even in the NBA. It is unknown who first used the nickname but Lebron first heard it after winning the state championship back in high school. The nickname quickly spread and is still used by fans, media, and even other players.

Other nicknames of popular NBA players include:

Dame Time (Damian Lillard)

This nickname came from the fact that Damian Lillard is known for making clutch shots near the end of games, and Dame Time sounds like Game Time.

The Claw (Kawhi Leonard)

Kawhi Leonard was given this nickname because he is known for his defensive ability and he also just has really big hands.

The Beard (James Harden)

Pretty self-explanatory... he has a big beard.