“Linsanity” and the Best Nicknames in the NBA

Jeremy Lin’s sudden success has sparked a great number of nicknames in the short time that he has come on to the scene, which brings up one of the more fun columns I’ve ever written. What are some of the best nicknames in the NBA? Let’s take a look at some of my favorites.

Jeremy Lin – “Linsanity”, “The Lin Dynasty”,   “The Asian Sensation”, “Super Lintendo”: Linsanity is the most popular, it’s a blatant rip off of Vince Carter’s “Vinsanity”. Cheers to the more creative nicknames I’ve seen; a few are listed above. He’s burst on the scene, and can hopefully keep up his productive play. He’s captured audiences around the world, so much so that people were waking up early in China to catch Lin play the Raptors on Tuesday night. Despite his success, he admittedly has to reduce his number of turnovers. I don’t want to call him “ButterLINgers”, but he’s averaging 6.0 turnovers in his five starts. Here's a little more Linsanity for you, as if you haven't seen this 1000 times on ESPN over the past 24 hours.

LeBron James – “King James”: LeBron James is arguably the best player in the NBA, and he’s proven it with his stats. Always a triple double threat, LeBron been one of the most complete players in the NBA since his arrival on the scene in 2003. Back when he was still on the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron won 2 NBA MVP awards, the Rookie of the Year award, and was twice the MVP of the NBA All-Star Game. Not to mention he’s an 8-time NBA All-Star.

Andre Kirilenko – “AK47”: Definitely the most fitting nickname, and perhaps the most punny of all, Kirilenko holds one of the most functional nicknames in the NBA. His cleverly chose the number 47, and is from Russia, so a fitting nickname of AK47 was born. He came into the league known as a deadly shooter (pun intended), never a physical guy, despite his length; He’s a full 6’9”.

Kobe Bryant – “Black Mamba”: Kobe Bryant explained the self-proclaimed nickname to ESPN, saying “The mamba can strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession. That's the kind of basketball precision I want to have.” Yep, that sounds like Kobe. 

Dwight Howard – “Superman”: Did he steal it from Shaq? I don’t really care, because after this dunk the name stuck.

No one has gone further to make themselves a nickname than Dwight Howard did, going into the phone booth and changing into his Superman cape, then dunking on a 12 foot rim, something no one else in the NBA can do. Superman. 

Nate Robinson “KrypoNate”: After Dwight Howard changed into his Superman cape at the 2009 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Nate Robinson came out in a full green Knicks Jersey, complete with Kryptonite green sneakers and a kryptonite colored basketball. He then dunked OVER Dwight Howard, all 5’9” of him.

Brian Scalabrine – “White Mamba”: No white guy in the NBA gets more fan love than Brian Scalabrine. He’s one of the worst players in the NBA, averaging 1.3 ppg and barely ever plays, unless it’s garbage time. However, when he does come in, the Chicago (or wherever he plays at the time) fan base goes berserk for the White Mamba. His NBA highlight video is complete with a few generic assists and layups—pretty stellar.

Serge Ibaka – “Iblocka”, “Air Congo”: Shotblocker (n): see Serge Ibaka. He’s easily the best shot blocker in the NBA, and has twice racked up 10 blocks in a game this season. Both in February, in fact. When he blocks a shot, it’s not uncommon to hear “IBLOCKA!” From people in the crowd at Thunder games. “Air Congo” comes from his incredible leaping ability, like his dunk from the free throw line in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest:

Chris “Birdman” Andersen: One look at the tatted up man with the spikey hair and the nickname stuck. Birdman has tattoos over his entire body, and his Mohawk really enhances that feel. He’s a physical, tall guy, and plays with a tough demeanor. He’s not the type of guy you’d want to meet in the back alley behind your local bar, let’s just put it that way. 

Vince Carter – Vinsanity: Sorry, Jeremy Lin, he was here first. But that was back when he a perennial All-Star… No one really calls his 10.6 ppg and 3 rebounds in 2012 “Vinsanity”.  From 1999-2009 though, Carter still averaged well over 20 points per game, as one of the best pure scorers in the NBA.

Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace: He changed his name to reflect “World Peace”, but Ron Artest is hardly the best advocate for such an issue. A more fitting nickname would be “Mr. Malice” after his actions during the Malice at the Palace Brawl, where he attacked a fan in the stands during one of the most scarring events the NBA has ever been associated with. It’s kind of fun to hear Mike Brown yell “World Peace! World Peace!” on the sidelines of Lakers games, though.

Did I miss one? Comment with some of your favorite nicknames if I didn't mention them!

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