The 5 Weirdest Nicknames in Celtics History

This, courtesy Celticshub.com.

Nickname origin stories are fun. Not just-for-sports nicknames like Paul “The Truth” Pierce or Joel “Ghostface” Pryzbilla. Real nicknames; the kind that show up on team rosters and that players go by in their everyday lives, often to the point that the people around them don’t even realize that they go by nicknames at all.

Several players with crazy nicknames have played for the Boston Celtics. Here are the craziest five of them. All of these stories are true and supportable by a cursory Google search.

5. “Mikki” Moore

Mikki Moore’s real name is Clinton, not Mikki, a name famous for not sounding like it’s supposed to. Mikki was nicknamed after “Little Mikey” from the Life Cereal commercials, apparently because he loved Life Cereal as a kid. I bet he really enjoyed spending his last five years in the NBA trying to explain that to his teammates, most of whom were born ten years after that commercial last aired on television.

Stephen Curry, 2010: Why do they call you Mikki?
Mikki: Because I enjoyed Life Cereal to a degree that drew comparisons to the boy from the Life Cereal commercials.
Stephen: Who?
Mikki: There was a boy named Mikey who appeared in Life Cereal commercials in the 70′s. He hated everything, but he loved Life Cereal, and he gave the other children the courage to try Life Cereal for themselves.
Stephen: …
Mikki: It was a wonderful commercial.
Stephen: Then…why is it spelled that way? Shouldn’t it be spelled the same way as the kid’s name? Who came up with that spelling?
Mikki: (is waived by Golden State)

4. “PJ” Brown

PJ Brown has neither a “P” nor a “J” in his entire name. His real name is Collier. He was named PJ as a child because, to the best of his recollection, he loved peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

So that’s two NBA players who took their permanent names from the foods they enjoyed as children. That makes sense. All my friends call me “Scrambled Eggs with Chopped-Up Hotdogs and Magic Shell.”

3. “Theo” Ratliff

Theo Ratliff’s nickname is not weird. But his real name is not Theodore.

It’s Theophilus.

2. “Popeye” Jones

Most people assume Popeye Jones got the nickname “Popeye” because he looks like this:



Somehow those people are wrong.

Popeye (real name Ronald) got his name when he came home from the hospital as a newborn infant and his brother was watching a Popeye cartoon on television. So, to recap: Popeye Jones got his nickname on the day he was born, and then coincidentally developed eyes that popped out of his face.

1. “Bimbo” Coles

As we wrap things up here, I just want to point out that none of these players was on the Celtics for more than one season.

Bimbo Coles’s real name is Vernell Eufaye Coles. He has one of those nicknames that everyone just instinctively knows is a childhood nickname, and one of those careers where nobody bothers to find out where it comes from. Turns out he was given his nickname by his cousin, who got it from a very old country song recorded by a number of now-dead singers. Here is that song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PWPQhH4N4fs

bob

.

What about Cornbread?

These ought be in the top 5

HAMBONE

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/26/hambone-williams-relishes-his-net-gains/

CORNBREAD

Maxwell received the nickname "Cornbread" from his college teammate Melvin Watkins after the pair went to see the movie Cornbread, Earl and Me,[2] in which a 12-year-old boy is traumatized by the murder of his friend, a star basketball player. Watkins thought that Maxwell looked like the title character (played by Keith Wilkes) and so began calling him "Cornbread". Since Maxwell did not like the nickname, it did not gain widespread use until Maxwell was named MVP of the NIT tournament in 1976, when, according to Watkins, "The New York media picked up on [the nickname]."

beat

Hey TJ

We are thinking alike. scary!!

beat

All of those are fun, but the best nickname in Celtics lore was Fat Freddie Scolari.

Sam

beat wrote:Hey TJ

We are thinking alike. scary!!

beat

beat,

That is funny that we are thinking alike.
I am glad that we have been able to move on from the differences we had some time ago.
Those days seem like ancient history.

TJ,

That's what this board is supposed to be all about.

Sam

Hey I got a few.

"Big Ed" Sadowski
Horace "Bones" Mc Kinney
"Jungle Jim" Loscutoff
Tom"Satch" Sanders

How about the strangest natural name Togo Palazzi

Al McGuire called this player "French Pastry" Who is it?

112288

112288 wrote:Hey I got a few.

"Big Ed" Sadowski
Horace "Bones" Mc Kinney
"Jungle Jim" Loscutoff
Tom"Satch" Sanders

How about the strangest natural name Togo Palazzi

Al McGuire called this player "French Pastry" Who is it?

112288

112288

Would that have been Doc Rivers?

bob

.

Bob,

No guess again.

112288

112288 wrote:Bob,

No guess again.

112288

112288,

I know that Al McGuire used to refer to show-off moves as "french pastry", and not necessarily in a nice, smiling way, but I didn't know he called a player "french pastry". I took a flyer on Doc because he was the only former Marquette player I could think of, but Doc was not a show-off, not in the pros either.

bob

.

112288

Checked as far as I could for now and an stumped. I always thought it was a more general term he (McQuire) used and was not for any specific player.

In looking for stuff I did find this one titbit about him that was cute.

After college, McGuire played in the NBA, first with the New York Knicks (1951-52) and then with the Baltimore Bullets (1954). While with the Knicks, he once famously pleaded with his coach for playing time, with this guarantee: “I can stop (Bob) Cousy.” Inserted into the lineup, McGuire proceeded to foul Cousy on his next six trips down the court.


We he was right he did stop him 6 times in a row!!


beat

Bob Cousy

112288

112288,
I knew that one, but I didn't want to ruin a great trivia question for everyone. The Cooz was also called "Flenchy" by some people.

What was his Celtics teammates' nickname for John Havlicek? I've mentioned it once or twice on the board, so maybe this will be a test to see if people are paying attention. Hint: It was definitely NOT "Hondo." I don't believe any Celtic player ever called him by that name, and you'll never once catch me doing it either.

Sam

Sam,

Is it the same name that Phil & Joe Niekro gave him in Ohio?

By the way does anyone know why he was called Hondo?

112288

Sam

Johnny Most called him the Bouncing Buckeye and Jarrin John

112288

Hondo was the named coined by a High School or College (I've seen reference to both) teammate cause he supposedly looked like the John Wayne character in the movie of the same name.

beat

"Big John"


112288

None of the above. I don't know what nickname he had at Ohio State. Maybe it was the same one, 112288. What was that name?

Sam

Sam, I remember you asking this question a while back. I gave you "Cek" (check) then and I'm back with it again.

Big John was coined by Phil & Joe Niehro in high school. Yes they say he looked like John Wayne. Hondo was a carry over to Ohio State as well as Big John.


112288

Will, you're the designated Havlicek nickname maven.

Cek is the answer.

i plan to ask it again in about six months. Get ready.

Congratulations,

Sam