Jay Z. Puffy Combs. Biggie Smalls. 50 Cent. 2-Pock. And Buster Rhymes. Regardless of your opinions on rap and hip-hop music, it's undeniable that they are preserving the honor of the great American knit name. The Knit Name. This custom is as American as baseball or mom's warm apple pie. Giving colorful nicknames to vibrant public personalities. Is it easy to think that they give you a nickname? Please say yes. Is an old American tradition? Since the inception of America, Americans have been creating nicknames for public figures, titles that either describe, praise, or ridicule them. Just think back to famous nicknames that have stood the test of time like Honest Abe, to Wild Bill, to Babe Ruth. While this has always been true in hip-hop and American culture, the NBA similarly embraces the practice of assigning nicknames to its beloved players. Some players are often recognized more by their nicknames than their birthnames, as seen in the example of Magic Urban Johnson. But have you ever thought to yourself, where did that name come from? Who was it that threw out that nickname that just really stuck? Let's answer this question for numerous NBA stars. There are too many great nicknames out there, but let's start with the third leading scorer of all time, Carl Malone, the mailman. This name was deemed by Louisiana Tech Sports Information Director Teddy Allen during Carl's College Days. The nickname wasn't originally meant for him. The team had to go down to Monroe, Louisiana, and they were worried they wouldn't make it there. Teddy said, Hey, if we was a bunch of mailmen, we would deliver. Malone had a pretty good game, and the team won. When they got back, the headline said, The mailman delivered, referring to Malone's performance. The name was born. During his career, Carl continued to deliver and lived up to the name for the most part. But Malone always struggled in the finals, which in the 1997 NBA finals, those struggles allowed Scotty Pippin to use his nickname against him. Malone missed a free throw in a tied ball game that would have allowed his team to get a game one win. Scotty Pippin delivered the famous line. The mailman don't deliver on Sunday. That might be the best trash talking moment in NBA history. Speaking of Scotty Pippin, his nicknames were Pipp, Robin, and Batman. Each one of these names showing a different display of his journey and character. The name Pipp was a shortening of his last name, but the name made him seem more of an approachable guy. Makes him seem like a buddy to fans and media. Robin came from the amazing teamwork he had with legend Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan being Batman and needing his trusty partner Robin. Pippin later was promoted to Batman because his overall game resembled Batman who can defend anyone, make plays, and score in clutch time. Meet another NBA superhero, Ant-Man, aka Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves. This nickname was given to him by his father when he was just three years old as part of a family tradition of assigning unique nicknames to each child. What began as a childhood nickname has now transcended into the media, as Edwards continues his rise as an NBA star. This year's All Star Weekend displayed superhuman efforts from Damien Lillard. A player who joined Michael Jordan has the only other individual in league history to triumph in a Saturday night event and earn the MVP title during the same All Star Weekend. Damien time is what fans hurt all weekend, a phrase that originated in high school for his amazing ability to take over the game's final minutes. Lillard is a man of many names, names like Logo Lillard, Damien Dalla, and Sub-Zero. Logo Lillard referring to his Lentman-list shooting range. Damn Dalla is his rapper's name. Dalla is an acronym for different on levels the Lord-O-Low. We all know that you can't have a good superhero story without villain. One of the most famous villains of all time being the Joker, which just so happens to be Nicola Yokichniknickname. This name was given to him by ex-teamate Mike Miller, who had difficulty pronouncing Yokich last name. He felt Joker was easier to say and more Americanized. Yokich has accepted this villainous last name with open arms. Names like Big Honey and the Cookie Monster have been passed around, but never stuck like Joker. This name also fits with his humorous personality we have got to see in his years in the league. Arguably one of the biggest villains in NBA history is Dennis Rodman, aka The Worm, which the name was given to him by his mom. Observing him play pinball as a young child, she noticed his wiggly, worm-like movements, inspiring the nickname that would stick with him throughout his NBA career. He was also tagged with nicknames like Psycho and Rodzilla. Rodman's reputation as a villain began during his tenure with the bad boys in Detroit, and continued in Chicago with headline-making incidents like headbutting referees and kicking cameramen in the nuts. Embracing his villainous persona, Rodman ventured into the world of professional wrestling, joining forces with Hollywood Hogan and the infamous NWO Wolfpack in WCW. Another borderline villain, depending on whether you ask Detroit Pistons fan John Green or not, is Ron Artes, the malice at the palace forever stuck on his resume. Ron changed his name to release some positive vibes towards his image. The nickname he chose was Metta World Peace. Metta is a Buddhist word meaning friendship, love and kindness. In 2014, while playing in China, he tried another name change to Pandas Friend. When Ron Artes was asked about the name changes he replied, you know, when Chado Chosinco changed his name? When Chado Johnson also singed, I thought that was cool. His last name change was to metaphor our test, which was a combination with his wife's last name. Aww, I guess he might have a hard after all. Help me! I'm... feeling... On that positive note, let's switch gears to one of the NBA's golden boys and faces of the league, Steph and Curry, the chef and babyface assassin. The chef Curry nickname originating from a Drake song called Zero to 100, the Ketchup. The song references Steph by saying, a band Steph Curry with the shot, band cooking with the saw chef Curry with the pop boy. What do you think? Should I start a rap career next? Yes? No? No! Anyways, babyface assassin is Steph's favorite nickname. That name originates back to his high school basketball days in Toronto. As a pivotal game, entered its final minute. The Queen's way Saints found themselves trailing by six points on the verge of tarnishing their flawless record. Yet, Steph Curry refused to accept defeat during a timeout. Curry said, we're not losing this game. Give me the ball. He made two quick three pointers that led to his six point victory. The name was born. Steph has another nickname he loves, the splash brothers, that he shares with teammate Clay Thompson. This nickname came from the incredible shooting by the duo. Clay Thompson is also known as Killaclay, Big Smokey and Sea Captain. Killaclay coming from a teammate Dremont Green while discussing Clay's performance in a very important game six in the 2016 Western Conference Finals. He said, Game Six Clay is a real thing. And guess what? If Killaclay believes it, then I believe it. Big Smokey came from Clay's history of smoking pot in his college days. At Washington State, he was arrested after a game for possessing 1.95 grams of marijuana. Maybe that's the medicine he's needing this year to get his splash back. After that talk, is anyone hunger for tacos? Like Jason Tatum, aka Taco J, or Big Duce. I wonder if that second one originated from bathroom sessions after the tacos? Hmmmm. I'm an out of me like blah blah. Taco J came from Jason's love of tacos. This taco loves sparked tons of social media posts and special edition air Jordans. Don't you want a pair? Tatum's ex-teamate, Kyrie Irving, also has some pretty great nicknames. Uncle Drew being his most popular, which derived from a Pepsi commercial that Kyrie starred in. Irving was dressed as an elderly man whose strong fundamentals allowed him to outperform modern players. This commercial became massively successful and inspired the making of three more short films. Another popular one was World Be Flat, which is amazing by the way. He was dubbed this nickname after voicing his unusual ideas about the shape of the earth. Lastly, the ankle taker for his dazzling dribbling skills that might take the ankles of the enemies. He's recorded the potential of up to 19 different nicknames. Absolute insanity. Did I say vincenity or linseanity? I already forgot. Both were amazing players that got fans excited about the game. Vince Carter was given the vincenity title after his legendary dunk contest performance. Where he beat teamat and Steve Francis. He was also known as Air Canada, Yoda, and Half Man, Half Amazing. Amazing was all you could think when he jumped Frederick Wies in the 2000 Olympic games. The excitement around Jeremy Lynn was different. This man brought excitement back for the nick spans when he practically came out of nowhere to spark a seven game win streak. That was highlighted by dropping 38 points against Kobe Bryant and a game winning three-pointer against the Raptors. He was also dubbed Lynn Dynasty and Super Lentendo. However, how do you talk about nicknames without mentioning the king of nicknames in the NBA? LeBron James. Nike was the first one to name King James after he signed the largest rookie shoe deal ever. It didn't take us long for us to realize how fitting this name truly was. Now in his 21st season, he continues to demonstrate what he is capable of. Defying age expectations. This year, he started in his 20th consecutive All-Star game, led the Lakers to victory in the in-season tournament as its MVP and is currently battling for a playoff spot. With LeBron, who knows when he'll turn up the heat and make this year another memorable one. LeBron has also been mentioned as the chosen one, L-Train, and the Akron Hammer. All nicknames dating back to when he was a young prodigy in Ohio. As you've noticed, the nicknamed culture is alive and well in the NBA. With so many great nicknames dubbed throughout the years, let's hear some of your favorites in the comment section down below. Thank you for watching the video. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please like and subscribe for more basketball content. It's greatly appreciated and allows the channel to grow.