Allegedly, the nickname was given due to Mitchell’s defensive prowess. I just wish he brought that skillset into the NBA because if he could defend nearly as well as he could score, he’d be a frontrunner for MVP every single season.
While the nickname is admittedly cheesy, I recall a conversation I had when the NBA announced its top 75 list for the diamond anniversary. When Pete Maravich was added to the list, one of my friends didn’t even recognize the name until the “pistol” was added to his name, at which point he admitted he thinks Maravich is the pioneer of modern basketball. I won’t disagree with that take, and it’s clear the nickname became the most recognizable part about him.
Utah Jazz</a>, 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.</p>
<h2>Utah Jazz: Counting off the five best nicknames in franchise history</h2>
<p>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.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #5 & #4 </a>
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<a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/imagn-images/2017/07/17328336.jpeg">
Donovan Mitchell</a> moved around the court, the nickname has stuck long into his professional career. “Spida” is one of the most recognizable nicknames currently in the league, so it had to make it into the top list. It’s not the most clever thing I’ve ever heard, but it’s catchy, it stuck, and it’s been widely embraced by fans of the Jazz and the league as a whole.</p>
<p>Allegedly, the nickname was given due to Mitchell’s defensive prowess. I just wish he brought that skillset into the NBA because if he could defend nearly as well as he could score, he’d be a frontrunner for MVP every single season.</p>
<h3>
#4: Pete Maravich, aka Pistol Pete</h3>
<p>There are a variety of reasons why <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Pete-Maravich/Summary/65857">Pete Maravich</a> was given this excellent nickname. First of all, he shot the basketball from his hip, like a cowboy shoots a pistol fresh from the holster. Second, he was one of the faster players on the court at any given moment. Third, he could pinpoint passes with such accuracy that only a shooting maestro could manage to match, and finally, he was one of the first long-range shooters to ever enter the league, adding points to the scoreboard from a distance, like a pistol would.</p>
<p>While the nickname is admittedly cheesy, I recall a conversation I had when the NBA announced its top 75 list for the diamond anniversary. When Pete Maravich was added to the list, one of my friends didn’t even recognize the name until the “pistol” was added to his name, at which point he admitted he thinks Maravich is the <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/24/pete-maravich-john-stockton-best-guard-utah-jazz-history/">pioneer of modern basketball</a>. I won’t disagree with that take, and it’s clear the nickname became the most recognizable part about him.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 & #2 </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-87080" src=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1163,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1198750960.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1163" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1198750960.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1198750960-768x558.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Referee Ed Rush (L) explains his call to Utah Jazz player Karl Malone after Malone was called for a technical foul during the first game of the NBA Western Conference semi-finals 04 May against the Los Angeles Lakers in Salt Lake City, Utah. AFP PHOTO/DOUG COLLIER (Photo by DOUG COLLIER / AFP) (Photo by DOUG COLLIER/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>
#3: Karl Malone, aka the Mailman</h3>
<p><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/malonka01.html" ref="nofollow">Karl Malone</a> is one of the greatest power forwards and scorers to ever play the game, and if it weren’t for Micheal Jordan, he and John Stockton could have been a dynasty to end the 1990s. One of the strongest players to ever play, he was given one of the best nicknames ever for one simple reason: mailmen always deliver.</p>
<p>One issue with that: the postal service <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-my-trash-talk-towards-karl-malone-was-the-great-line-in-nba-history-scottie-pippen-defended-his-own-mailman-doesnt-deliver-on-sunday-line-from-the-bu/">does not deliver on Sundays</a> or holidays, as Scottie Pippen pointed out. A great nickname needs to be flawless, and thanks to one very big flaw, Malone doesn’t quite crack the top two. There’s a difference between very good and great.</p>
<h3>
#2: Rudy Gobert, aka the Stifle Tower</h3>
<p><a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3032976/rudy-gobert">Rudy Gobert</a> is a man of many names. The French Rejection, the Gobert Report, and Gobzilla. Stifle Tower is far and away the best. French Rejection is rather lazy, Gobert Report is fun but it doesn’t tie into his playstyle at all, and Gobzilla is just dumb.</p>
<p>I like Stifle Tower because it mentions his insane shot-blocking abilities and also pays homage to his French origins. As I said, a good nickname needs to mention some on-court ability, and as one of the best shot blockers of this generation, it makes perfect sense to give him this one. Regardless of how you feel about Gobert now that he’s moved on to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves, one thing can be certain: Gobert deserves a spot on this list.</p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> The best nickname in Jazz history </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-85949" src=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_979,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fthejnotes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F109386610.jpeg" alt="Utah Jazz" width="1600" height="979" srcset="https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/109386610.jpeg 1600w, https://thejnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/109386610-768x470.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Andrei Kirilenko of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)</p>
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<h3>
#1: Andrei Kirilenko, aka AK-47</h3>
<p>The AK-47 is one of the most popular rifles in the world still, and given its Russian origin, it only makes sense to bestow that nickname upon a Russian player. <a href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kirilan01.html" ref="nofollow">Andrei Kirilenko</a> has “AK” as his initials and fittingly wore the number 47, so this was really a freebie.</p>
<p>Kirilenko was a solid starting forward in ten seasons with the Jazz and made one All-Star appearance. He is the commissioner of Russian basketball, so his post-NBA life has been quite good.</p>
<p>I would say AK-47 is one of the best nicknames in NBA history. “King” James, His Airness, and The Greek Freak really don’t take much creativity, and frankly neither does AK-47, but it’s perfect. It pays homage to his homeland, is definitely intimidating, and his number and initials fit in there as well. Dr. J, The Human Highlight Reel, The Iceman, and Magic all take a bit of thought and effort, but when absolutely no thought and effort is required and the result is still fantastic, that’s the road I want to take.</p>
<div class="fs-shortcode" data-type="StoryLink" data-theme="dark" data-text="Predicting the leading scorers on the Jazz in 2023" data-url="https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/19/predicting-top-5-leading-scorers-jazz-2023/" data-call-to-action="Next"> <div class="story-link-next"> <a class="story-link-next-btn" style="background: #00265D" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="story-link-next-shortcode" href=https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/25/5-best-nicknames-utah-jazz-history/2/"https://thejnotes.com/2022/07/19/predicting-top-5-leading-scorers-jazz-2023/"> <span class="call_to_action">Next:</span> Predicting the leading scorers on the Jazz in 2023 </a> </div>
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<p>PG13 and CP3 are fine and dandy, but ultimately lazy. CP3 doesn’t mean anything, and PG-13 is a well-known movie rating, but neither says anything about Chris Paul or Paul George, other than they have a first name, a last name, and a number. AK-47 suggests that Kirilenko also possesses those (as does every other NBA player ever, other than Nene), but his actually means something when it stands alone, and that thing is scary. On top of that, the Russian tie-in is incredible, so Andrei has my vote.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">