100 Best Athlete Nicknames of All Time
Athletes have long been known for their unique and memorable nicknames, which often reflect their playing style, personality, or achievements. Here’s a list of the 100 best athlete nicknames of all time, from “The Fridge” to “Notorious.”
10. William Perry: “The Fridge”
Perry was a defensive lineman who played for the Chicago Bears and was known for his size and strength.
9. Jerome Bettis: “The Bus”
Bettis was a running back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was known for his powerful running style.
8. Walter Payton: “Sweetness”
Payton was a running back who played for the Chicago Bears and was known for his speed and agility.
7. Wayne Gretzky: “The Great One”
Gretzky was a professional hockey player who is widely considered the greatest of all time.
6. Calvin Johnson: “Megatron”
Johnson was a wide receiver who played for the Detroit Lions and was known for his size and speed.
4. Michael Jordan: “Air Jordan”
Jordan was a professional basketball player who is widely considered one of the greatest of all time.
3. Jerry West: “The Logo”
West was a professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers and was known for his shooting ability.
2. Deion Sanders: “Prime Time”
Sanders was a professional football player who was known for his speed and agility.
1. Earvin Johnson: “Magic”
Johnson was a professional basketball player who played for the Los Angeles Lakers and was known for his passing ability.
And here are the rest of the top 100:
11. Michael Irvin: “The Playmaker”
12. Giannis Antetokounmpo: “The Greek Freak”
13. Jason Williams: “White Chocolate”
14. George Gervin: “The Iceman”
15. Tyrann Mathieu: “Honeybadger”
16. Derek Jeter: “The Captain”
17. Paul Pierce: “The Truth”
18. Allen Iverson: “The Answer”
19. O.J. Simpson: “The Juice”
20. Julius Erving: “Dr. J”
21. Shaquille O’Neal: “Diesel”
22. George Herman Ruth: “Babe” or “The Great Gambino”
23. Darryl Dawkins: “Chocolate Thunder”
24. Kobe Bryant: “Black Mamba”
25. Larry Bird: “Larry Legend”
26. Charles Barkley: “The Great Mound of Rebound”
27. Gilbert Arenas: “Agent Zero”
28. David Robinson: “The Admiral”
29. Gary Payton: “The Glove”
30. Shohei Ohtani: “Sho-time”
31. Larry Bird: “The Hick from French Lick”
32. Kevin Garnett: “The Big Ticket”
33. Rafer Alston: “Skip to my Lou”
34. Vince Carter: “Half Man Half Amazing”
35. Kevin Durant: “Slim Reaper” and “Durantala”
36. Nikola Jokic: “The Joker”
37. Dominique Wilkins: “Human Highlight Reel”
38. Hakeem Olajuwon: “The Dream”
39. Karl Malone: “The Mailman”
40. Mike Tyson: “Iron Mike”
41. Pete Maravich: “Pistol Pete”
42. Tyson Fury: “The Gipsy King”
43. Steve Francis: “The Franchise”
44. Terrell Suggs: “T-Sizzle”
45. Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Chris Mullin: “Run T-M-C”
46. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson: “The Splash Brothers”
47. Marshawn Lynch: “Beast Mode”
48. Damian Lillard: “Dame Time”
49. Mariano Rivera: “The Sandman”
50. Johnny Manziel: “Johnny Football”
51. Reggie Jackson: “Mr. October”
52. Joe Namath: “Broadway Joe”
53. Dick Lane: “Night Train”
54. Raghib Ismail: “Rocket”
55. Israel Adesanya: “Stylebender”
56. Shawn Marion: “The Matrix”
57. Daryl Johnston: “Moose”
58. Robert Horry: “Big Shot Bob”
59. Joe Montana: “Joe Cool”
60. Kenny Stabler: “The Snake”
61. Chauncey Billups: “Mr. Big Shot”
62. Christian Okoye: “The Nigerian Nightmare”
63. LeBron James: “King James”
64. Kemba Walker: “Cardiac Kemba”
65. Tyreek Hill: “Cheetah”
66. Carnell Williams: “Cadillac”
67. Diana Taurasi: “White Mamba”
68. Bryant Reeves: “Big Country”
69. Chang Sung Jung: “The Korean Zombie”
70. Chad Johnson: “Ochocinco”
71. Javier Hernandez: “Chicharito”
72. Tim Duncan: “The Big Fundamental”
73. Muhammad Ali: “The People’s Champ”
74. Ronda Rousey: “Rowdy Ronda”
75. Dwyane Wade: “Flash”
76. Bartolo Colon: “Big Sexy”
77. Ed Jones: “Too Tall”
78. Vinnie Johnson: “The Microwave”
79. Anfernee Hardaway: “Penny”
80. Gabbi Douglas: “The Flying Squirrel”
81. Adam Jones: “Pacman”
82. Ray Leonard: “Sugar Ray”
83. Reggie White: “The Minister of Defense”
84. Peyton Manning: “The Sheriff”
85. Wilt Chamberlain: “Wilt the Stilt”
86. Pete Rose: “Charlie Hustle”
87. Eldrick Woods: “Tiger”
88. Ivan Rodriguez: “Pudge”
89. Earl Monroe: “The Pearl”
90. Clyde Drexler: “The Glide”
91. Jon Jones: “Bones”
92. Randy Johnson: “Big Unit”
93. Alex Morgan: “Baby Horse”
94. Mohamad Salah: “The Pharaoh”
95. Donovan Mitchell: “Spida”
96. Dennis Rodman: “The Worm”
97. Frank Thomas: “Big Hurt”
98. Joe Greene: “Mean Joe”
99. David Jones: “Deacon”
100. Conor McGregor: “Notorious”
Honorable mentions:
* Damon Stoudamire: “Mighty Mouse”
* Nick Young: “Swaggy P”
* Nate Archibald: “Tiny”
* Russell Maryland: “The Kitchen”
* Chris Anderson: “Birdman”
* Oscar De La Hoya: “The Golden Boy”
* Lou Gehrig: “The Iron Horse”
* Elroy Hirsch: “Crazy Legs”
* Ted Williams: “The Splendid Splinter”
* Marvin Hagler: “Marvelous Marvin”
* Elbert Woods: “Ickey”
* Andrei Kirilenko: “AK-47”
* Marquise Brown: “Hollywood”
* George Foreman: “Big George”
* Willie Mays: “The Say Hey Kid”
* Hank Aaron: “Hammerin’ Hank”
* Fred McGriff: “Crime Dog”
* Tim Howard: “The Secretary of Defense”
* Evander Holyfield: “Real Deal”
* Joel Embiid: “The Process”
* Sean O’Malley: “Suga Sean”
* Stephen Thompson: “Wonderboy”
* Quinton Jackson: “Rampage”
* Jeremy Lin: “Linsanity”
* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: “The Tower from Power”
