99+ Basketball Nicknames for Guys and Girls

Basketball Nicknames

Not only is Shaq, which of course, is short for his real name Shaquille, a pro baller, but he's also a pro at coming up with great nicknames! He's actually gone by several nicknames over the years, including Shaq Daddy, The Diesel, The Big Fella, and Big Shamrock, and M.D.E (Most Dominant Ever), just to name a few.

He earned his nicknames throughout his career, and was well-known by his nicknames because of his natural talent to play b-ball. Everybody has to start somewhere though, so if you’re in the sport, it’s time to consider a nickname for you and other teammates!

Basketball Nicknames for Guys

Every player on the team has a role, and I don't just mean which position they play. Are you the court clown? The badass baller? What about the biggest guy on the team? Your nickname will help define your role on the team.

Ball Hog	King Kong
Bear	Lanky
Big Bird	Large Fry
Bigfoot	Limbs
Buzz	Lurch
Buzz Lightyear	McNasty
Buzzer	Monster
Captain	MVP
Chewbacca	Ogre
Chewy	Sasquatch
Chief	Sausage
Court King	Shaq
Daddy Long Legs	Shrek
DK	Slam
Dribbles	Slammer
Dunkin	Speedy Gonzales
Fresh Prince	Stretch
Froggy	Swish
Giant	Switch
Giraffe	Swoosh
Globetrotter	Tank
Goliath	The Skyscraper
Guardian	Torpedo
Hagrid	Tower
Hangman	T-Rex
Iron Giant	Twister
Jolly Green Giant	Wookie

 

Basketball Nicknames for Girls

Girl players deserve a great nickname just as much as the boys! Whether you end up with a cute nickname or a tough one, the fact that you're a girl basketball player makes you pretty badass in my book!

3-Point	Legs
Alta (Spanish for tall)	Lofty
Amazon	Mama Bear
Ball Queen	Mama Long Legs
Banshee	Minnie
Basketcase	Nettie
Beanstalk	Peaches
Blockie	Pigtails
Cinderella	Pumps
Cougar	Queenie
Court Queen	Rookie
Donut	Shawty
Doppler	Short Shorts
Dragonfly	Shorty
Duchess	Slim
Florida	Slingshot
Freakshow	Stringbean
Ginger Giant	Sweet Tea
Half Court	Tinkerbell
Heels	Tippy Toes
Hoops	Twiggy
Hot Shot	Twinkle Toes
Hottie McShotty	Twister Sister
Jumpy	Twizzler
Lankee	Wicked Witch

 

Tips for Choosing a Great Nickname

Now that you've read through some example nicknames, it's time to come up with some awesome basketball nicknames for yourself and your teammates. Here are some quick tips to help you along.

• Player’s name: An obvious way to give a basketball player a nickname would be to play around with their real name and see what you can come up with. Avoid typical nicknames, such as “Billy” for “William.” Unless of course, you add on a word, such as to make the nickname “Billy Ball.”
  
  
• Player’s number: Numbers are bound to change throughout a basketball career, especially if starting out in grade school; however, the number will always be a part of their history in the game so finding clever ways to use the number can work out beautifully.
  
  
• Basketball terms: There are many terms specific to basketball that can really be helpful in coming up with some names. Think dribbling, slam dunks, traveling, etc. You can probably come up with a few humorous puns!
  
  
• “Tall” terms: I’ve honestly never seen a short person make it big (pun intended), so think tall names as the person you’re trying to nickname is likely tall if they play basketball seriously.
  
  
• Team colors: Like numbers, team colors will eventually change throughout a basketball career, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look to the colors for some inspiration! “Big Blue” and “Green Giant” come to mind!
  
  
• Childhood nicknames: Throwbacks never hurt anyone! Well, that all depends. I suppose you wouldn’t want to be called Mr. Poop-a-loochki on the courts, would ya? Do be careful with this one, some of us had really odd nicknames as babies!

Once you've got your nicknames, it's time to cruise the court in a sweet custom jersey with your new nickname on it!

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