Ranking The Warriors’ Nicknames
Nicknames are a big part of life in the NBA. Having a nickname gives a player an identity and usually means one of two things: You’re good enough that the rest of the NBA and media respects you for your skills OR, the less favorable option, you messed up big time and now a nickname making fun of you follows you around.
Some nicknames in the NBA are really good; others not so much. With the NBA Finals starting on Thursday, it seems appropriate to rank the nicknames of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, continuing with the Warriors.
*For the purposes of this exercise, I am using the nicknames listed on each player’s player page on Basketball-Reference*
1. Nick Young — Swaggy P
Swaggy P is the perfect nickname for the man who gave us the iconic in-and-out 3-pointer with his back turned GIF. That moment and the his nickname perfectly encapsulate Nick Young’s philosophy on the court.
2. JaVale McGee — Big Daddy Wookie
Honestly, I thought this was a joke on Basketball-Reference. The more I thought about it though, the more it fits. JaVale McGee seems like a kind of goofy, happy go lucky guy and an extremely non-serious nickname is very on brand.
3. Klay Thompson — The Electrician
Originally, I found this one funny because it reminded me of Joe Ingles earlier in the playoffs when NBA Twitter was calling him a math teacher (except he’s 6’ 8”). I thought the two were similar because an electrician is someone that we need in society, but isn’t an award-winning job. A couple of minutes later though, I realized there was probably a deeper meaning. Klay is the final cog of the Warriors’ offensive machine. If he’s on fire, it gets the rest of them going and he can carry them with huge performances. So in some ways, he’s their spark plug, which is where the electricity comes from?
4. Kevin Durant — Durantula
“KD” is also listed as Durant’s nickname, but I’m not counting it. KD is a nickname the same way “Steph” is a nickname for Stephen Curry. Durantula though, is properly terrifying. It evokes memories of the All-Star Game when Durant and LeBron James trapped Steph on the wing for the final possession. Durantula is low here because I don’t think I’ve ever heard it used; if it got used regularly, it would probably shoot up to number 1.
5. Steph Curry — Chef Curry
This one is good? Like there is a good connection between Chef and Curry with the food angle, but that’s about it. Steph does get really hot from downtown and starts ‘cooking,’ so it fits, but it’s not great.
