Ranking the 5 best nicknames in Utah Jazz franchise history

Out of all the major sports leagues in the United States, the NBA has perhaps the most personality. Unlike the NFL and NHL, players do not have their faces blocked, and unlike baseball, players are actively playing the entire game, not just when they’re up to bat or the ball is hit their way. It helps that basketball fields the smallest teams, with only five guys out on the court at a time, and it allows fans to be more up close and personal.

With an NBA franchise as historical as the Utah Jazz, there are bound to be some players more revered than others. One of the ways fans demonstrate their appreciation to a player is by bestowing a nickname. Jordan is His Airness, LeBron is The King, Duncan is the Big Fundamental, and Magic Johnson basically only goes by his nickname.

Utah Jazz: Counting off the five best nicknames in franchise history

The Jazz, of course, have their share of players who have earned a nickname. Some of them are surefire Hall of Famers if they aren’t there already, and others, well, just were given a name that fit and stuck. Some are just clever plays on words, and others speak volumes about the kind of game each player plays, regardless of how they got their nicknames, individuality matters. Slow-mo is one of my favorite nicknames ever, but since both Joe Ingles and Kyle Anderson have that moniker, it doesn’t quite crack the top five. In addition to that, the player has to have some significance on the court. A fringe player with a memorable nickname doesn’t quite make the cut. With the ground rules out of the way, let’s look at the top five nicknames in franchise history.