Posted on

Marcelo Ríos ‘El Chino’

Marcelo Ríos is a retired professional tennis player from Chile, and the only man in the open era to reach world number one ranking without ever winning a Grand Slam in his career.

Ríos has the weird nickname ‘El Chino’, which translates as ‘the Chinaman’, a nickname he got because his facial features supposedly make him appear Asian.

Ríos was exciting to watch, and is often referred to as one of the most talented tennis players ever to play. The problem however, was that his mental game did not match his shot-making abilities and this resulted in him having a relatively underachieving career for a player with his natural talents.

 

 

Posted on

Carles Puyol ‘Lionheart’

Known by fans as ‘Lionheart’, former Barcelona star and Spanish football legend Carles Puyol will always be remembered as a world class defender, supreme leader, and having an amazing head of hair. Hardworking, strong leadership and demanding of his team mates, Puyol’s presence on the football pitch had a massive impact for his club Barcelona and for Spain.

 

Posted on

Tony Hawk ‘Birdman’

Tony Hawk is the most influential and well-known professional skateboarder of all time. Hawk’s nickname is ‘Birdman’ because of his surname and also thanks to his outstanding aerial tricks.

One of Hawk’s biggest skateboarding accomplishments was when he became the first skater  to land the extremely difficult trick called the 900 (two and a half revolutions), this was achieved at the 1999 X-Games.

 

Posted on

Jeremy Lin ‘Linsanity’

Jeremy Lin created a worldwide phenomenon known as ‘Linsanity’, when he burst onto the scene out of nowhere during the 2011-12 NBA season and captivated the media and basketball fans. Lin brought excitement to New York Knick fans when he was placed into the starting lineup and went on his iconic 26-game run.

Posted on

Phil Heath ‘The Gift’

Phil Heath is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, having placed 1st in the competition for 7 consecutive years from 2011 to 2017.

Heath was suggested his nickname by an old roommate named Andreas who told Phil that ‘The Gift’ would be perfect for him. Phil explains in this video what ‘The Gift’ means to him and how he took his gift and he worked hard to become successful.

 

Posted on

Michael Phelps ‘The Baltimore Bullet’

Michael Phelps is an American retired competitive swimmer and the most decorated athlete in the history of the Olympic Games. ‘The Baltimore Bullet’ participated in 5 Olympics and won a total of 28 medals, the most ever. In all, the 28 medals include 23 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.

 

Thanks @arschmitty for my cupping today!!! #mpswim #mp 📷 @chasekalisz

A post shared by Michael Phelps (@m_phelps00) on

Phelps created widespread interest in cupping when he had visible large purple circles across his back and shoulders at the Rio Olympics.

Cupping is an ancient Chinese therapy technique that uses small glass cups as suction devices that are placed on the skin to help circulate blood and relieve muscle tension.

Posted on

Robert Horry ‘Big Shot Rob’

Robert Horry was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 11th overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.

Horry earned the nickname ‘Big Shot Rob’ because of his clutch shooting in important games, particularly in the Playoffs. He had a 16 season NBA career, that included seven championship teams:

1993-94 Houston Rockets
1994-95 Houston Rockets
1999-2000 L.A. Lakers
2000-01 L.A. Lakers
2001-02 L.A. Lakers
2004-05 San Antonio Spurs
2006-07 San Antonio Spurs

 

Posted on

Jason Terry ‘JET’

Jason Terry is known as JET, a nickname which is based on the initials of his name (his middle name is Eugene).

Terry’s most memorable game was in game 4 of the 2011 Western Conference Semifinals, where he made nine threes, which lead the Mavericks to a sweep of the Lakers.

As at the end of the 2017-18 NBA season, Terry had the third most three point field goals in a career in NBA history, behind Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.

Posted on

Brett Favre ‘The Gunslinger’

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre is a Super Bowl Champion and 3x MVP award winner. Favre was nicknamed ‘The Gunslinger’ because of his strong arm and his high risk, high reward style of play during his career.

Favre was one of the toughest and most entertaining QB to play in the NFL, who has his No.4 jersey retired by the Green Bay Packers to commemorate his accomplishments.

 

 

Posted on

Joe Ingles ‘Jingles’

Joe Ingles is nicknamed ‘Jingles’, the result of blending his first initial and his surname.

The versatile Australian forward was formerly nicknamed ‘Slow-Mo Joe’ because of his perceived lack of athleticism and foot speed, however he has proven himself valuable for the Utah Jazz as an elite three-point shooter and a player with good passing and hustling defence.