Home
Register
Log inNBA Players' Nicknames In China
Page 1 of 1
NBA Players' Nicknames In China
by bobheckler Mon May 07, 2018 4:49 pm
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
Follow Follow @nick_kapur
More
A thread of Chinese internet nicknames for NBA players.
China is crazy for the NBA, but official sources use boring phonetic transcriptions, failing to take advantage of Chinese characters having both sound and meaning. Chinese netizens have "improved" on these official names.
9:04 AM - 7 May 2018
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
Follow Follow @nick_kapur
More
Lebron James - 小皇帝 "The Little Emperor"
A play on the English "King James" that is also a slang term for a "spoiled only child" under China's "One Child Policy"
Used more when Lebron was young but now mostly by Lebron haters. His fans prefer 詹皇 (Zhan Wang or "King James").
9:08 AM - 7 May 2018
More
Russell Westbrook - 威少 "Wei Dude"
Russ's phonetic name in Chinese (衛斯特布魯克 wei si te bu lu ke) is really long so they shortened it to "Wei Dude."
They also upgraded the "wei" from "guarding" (衛) to "dominating" (威).
3 replies 57 retweets 330 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 57 Like 330
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
Follow Follow @nick_kapur
More
Steph Curry - 库昊 "fucks the sky"
This is an extremely elaborate pun. One of Curry's phonetic names is 库里 (ku li) and the second character is a combination of the characters 日 ("sun") and 土 ("ground"). But 日 is also slang for "fuck." 1/3
9:30 AM - 7 May 2018
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Given Curry's penchant for launching shots into the sky, Chinese netizens apparently felt it would be more apropos to name him "fucks the sky" instead of "fucks the ground," so they replaced "earth" (土) with "sky" (天) in the second character. 2/3
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Other common nicknames for Steph Curry include "Sprout God" (萌神) and "The Elementary School Student" (小学生), both playing on his diminutive stature. 3/3
2 replies 128 retweets 503 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 128 Like 503
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 字母哥 "Letters Bro"
Because his last name has...so...many...letters!
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Kobe Bryant - 蜗壳 "Snail Shell"
Kobe is "Snail Shell" because it rhymes with "My [guy] Kobe."
When he was young they called him 小飞侠 or “Peter Pan” (literally "Little Flying Warrior") and at the end he became 唠嗑 (“Chatterbox, Gossip"), which rhymes with "Old Kobe."
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Manu Ginobili - 妖刀 "The Demon Blade"
Perhaps the coolest nickname of them all, Ginobili earned this moniker for his ability to slash to the hoop using tricky footwork like the Eurostep.
11 replies 353 retweets 1,010 likes
Reply 11 Retweet 353 Like 1.0K
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Shaquille O'Neal - 大鲨鱼 "The Giant Shark"
Derives from the fact that the first sound in the Chinese word for "shark" (shayu) sounds like the first sound in "Shaquille."
Toward the end of his career, he was frequently called "O'Fat" (奥胖) - a play on "O'Neal."
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Klay Thompson - 佛祖 "The Buddha"
Because his very short curly hair reminds Chinese people of the Buddha's hairstyle in traditional Chinese art.
3 replies 93 retweets 412 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 93 Like 412
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Carmelo Anthony - 甜瓜 "Melon"
Because his English nickname "Melo" sounds like the English word "melon" which they then translated into Chinese (pronounced tian gua).
3 replies 40 retweets 248 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 40 Like 248
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Kevin Durant - 书包杜 "Schoolbag Du"
Because he used to often wear a backpack to press conferences ("Du" is short for "Durant")
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Charles Barkley - 飞猪 "The Flying Pig"
Self-explanatory.
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Michael Jordon - 帮主 "Gang Boss"
Jordan's ordinary name in Chinese is 乔丹 (qiao dan), but Qiao is also the surname of Qiao Feng, the leader of the "Beggars' Sect" in popular wuxia martial arts novels, often known simply as "Gang Boss Qiao" (乔帮主).
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Vehicle nicknames!
Dirk Nowitzki is 德国战车, "The German Panzer Tank"
Tony Parker is 法国小跑车, "The Little French Sports Car"
3 replies 57 retweets 352 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 57 Like 352
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
Some nicknames are straightforward or are direct translations of the English:
James Harden - 大胡子 "The Big Beard"
Paul Pierce - 真理 "The Truth"
Allen Iverson - 答案 "The Answer"
Gary Patyon - 手套 "The Glove"
Kawhi Leonard - 可愛 - means "cute" but sounds like "Kawhi"
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
However, "Dr. J" did get turned into J博士 ("J, Ph.D."), and Steve Francis's nickname "The Franchise" was badly translated into 特权 ("Special Rights").
9 replies 57 retweets 355 likes
Reply 9 Retweet 57 Like 355
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
Scottie Pippen - 天下第二人 "Second Best Under Heaven"
4 replies 64 retweets 374 likes
Reply 4 Retweet 64 Like 374
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
Dwyane Wade - 典韋 "Dian Wei"
Dian Wei was a mighty warrior from the ancient Three Kingdoms Period who was a loyal sidekick of the general Cao Cao. He famously died covering for Cao Cao's retreat when they were ambushed by a rebel army. His name also sounds like "Dwyane Wade."
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Stephon Marbury - 马政委 "Marburyist Political Commissar"
This is a pun on "Marxist Political Commissar," since in Chinese both "Marbury" and "Marx" are spelled with the same first character "ma" ("horse").
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Kevin Garnett - 狼王 "King of the Wolves"
Leftover from his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves
2 replies 26 retweets 187 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 26 Like 187
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Steve Nash - 风之子 "Son of the Wind"
2 replies 22 retweets 133 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 22 Like 133
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Joel Embiid - 大帝 "The Great One"
"Da di," meaning "great emperor" is the title used in Chinese for rulers who are called "the Great," as in "Alexander the Great"
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
46m46 minutes ago
More
Tim Duncan - 石佛 "The Stone Buddha"
Due to his perceived unemotional nature
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
45m45 minutes ago
More
Hakeem Olajuwon was known as "The Dream" in English, but this got upgraded to 大夢 ("The Big Dream") in Chinese.
2 replies 4 retweets 51 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 4 Like 51
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
40m40 minutes ago
More
Anthony Davis - 浓眉 "The Thick Brow"
No surprises here.
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
5m5 minutes ago
More
Tristan Thompson - 八贤王 "The King of Eights"
Thompson held out of training camp in 2015 and received a contract worth more than 80 million, despite averaging only 8 points and 8 rebounds in 2014-2015.
"The King of Eights" was a nickname for several historical Chinese rulers.
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
39s39 seconds ago
More
Andre Miller - 莫文蔚 "Karen Mok"
Because people think he looks like Hong Kong actress and pop star Karen Mok
bob
.
@nick_kapur
Follow Follow @nick_kapur
More
A thread of Chinese internet nicknames for NBA players.
China is crazy for the NBA, but official sources use boring phonetic transcriptions, failing to take advantage of Chinese characters having both sound and meaning. Chinese netizens have "improved" on these official names.
9:04 AM - 7 May 2018
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
Follow Follow @nick_kapur
More
Lebron James - 小皇帝 "The Little Emperor"
A play on the English "King James" that is also a slang term for a "spoiled only child" under China's "One Child Policy"
Used more when Lebron was young but now mostly by Lebron haters. His fans prefer 詹皇 (Zhan Wang or "King James").
9:08 AM - 7 May 2018
More
Russell Westbrook - 威少 "Wei Dude"
Russ's phonetic name in Chinese (衛斯特布魯克 wei si te bu lu ke) is really long so they shortened it to "Wei Dude."
They also upgraded the "wei" from "guarding" (衛) to "dominating" (威).
3 replies 57 retweets 330 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 57 Like 330
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
Follow Follow @nick_kapur
More
Steph Curry - 库昊 "fucks the sky"
This is an extremely elaborate pun. One of Curry's phonetic names is 库里 (ku li) and the second character is a combination of the characters 日 ("sun") and 土 ("ground"). But 日 is also slang for "fuck." 1/3
9:30 AM - 7 May 2018
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Given Curry's penchant for launching shots into the sky, Chinese netizens apparently felt it would be more apropos to name him "fucks the sky" instead of "fucks the ground," so they replaced "earth" (土) with "sky" (天) in the second character. 2/3
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Other common nicknames for Steph Curry include "Sprout God" (萌神) and "The Elementary School Student" (小学生), both playing on his diminutive stature. 3/3
2 replies 128 retweets 503 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 128 Like 503
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Giannis Antetokounmpo - 字母哥 "Letters Bro"
Because his last name has...so...many...letters!
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Kobe Bryant - 蜗壳 "Snail Shell"
Kobe is "Snail Shell" because it rhymes with "My [guy] Kobe."
When he was young they called him 小飞侠 or “Peter Pan” (literally "Little Flying Warrior") and at the end he became 唠嗑 (“Chatterbox, Gossip"), which rhymes with "Old Kobe."
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Manu Ginobili - 妖刀 "The Demon Blade"
Perhaps the coolest nickname of them all, Ginobili earned this moniker for his ability to slash to the hoop using tricky footwork like the Eurostep.
11 replies 353 retweets 1,010 likes
Reply 11 Retweet 353 Like 1.0K
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Shaquille O'Neal - 大鲨鱼 "The Giant Shark"
Derives from the fact that the first sound in the Chinese word for "shark" (shayu) sounds like the first sound in "Shaquille."
Toward the end of his career, he was frequently called "O'Fat" (奥胖) - a play on "O'Neal."
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
4h4 hours ago
More
Klay Thompson - 佛祖 "The Buddha"
Because his very short curly hair reminds Chinese people of the Buddha's hairstyle in traditional Chinese art.
3 replies 93 retweets 412 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 93 Like 412
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Carmelo Anthony - 甜瓜 "Melon"
Because his English nickname "Melo" sounds like the English word "melon" which they then translated into Chinese (pronounced tian gua).
3 replies 40 retweets 248 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 40 Like 248
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Kevin Durant - 书包杜 "Schoolbag Du"
Because he used to often wear a backpack to press conferences ("Du" is short for "Durant")
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Charles Barkley - 飞猪 "The Flying Pig"
Self-explanatory.
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Michael Jordon - 帮主 "Gang Boss"
Jordan's ordinary name in Chinese is 乔丹 (qiao dan), but Qiao is also the surname of Qiao Feng, the leader of the "Beggars' Sect" in popular wuxia martial arts novels, often known simply as "Gang Boss Qiao" (乔帮主).
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
3h3 hours ago
More
Vehicle nicknames!
Dirk Nowitzki is 德国战车, "The German Panzer Tank"
Tony Parker is 法国小跑车, "The Little French Sports Car"
3 replies 57 retweets 352 likes
Reply 3 Retweet 57 Like 352
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
Some nicknames are straightforward or are direct translations of the English:
James Harden - 大胡子 "The Big Beard"
Paul Pierce - 真理 "The Truth"
Allen Iverson - 答案 "The Answer"
Gary Patyon - 手套 "The Glove"
Kawhi Leonard - 可愛 - means "cute" but sounds like "Kawhi"
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
However, "Dr. J" did get turned into J博士 ("J, Ph.D."), and Steve Francis's nickname "The Franchise" was badly translated into 特权 ("Special Rights").
9 replies 57 retweets 355 likes
Reply 9 Retweet 57 Like 355
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
Scottie Pippen - 天下第二人 "Second Best Under Heaven"
4 replies 64 retweets 374 likes
Reply 4 Retweet 64 Like 374
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
2h2 hours ago
More
Dwyane Wade - 典韋 "Dian Wei"
Dian Wei was a mighty warrior from the ancient Three Kingdoms Period who was a loyal sidekick of the general Cao Cao. He famously died covering for Cao Cao's retreat when they were ambushed by a rebel army. His name also sounds like "Dwyane Wade."
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Stephon Marbury - 马政委 "Marburyist Political Commissar"
This is a pun on "Marxist Political Commissar," since in Chinese both "Marbury" and "Marx" are spelled with the same first character "ma" ("horse").
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Kevin Garnett - 狼王 "King of the Wolves"
Leftover from his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves
2 replies 26 retweets 187 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 26 Like 187
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Steve Nash - 风之子 "Son of the Wind"
2 replies 22 retweets 133 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 22 Like 133
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
1h1 hour ago
More
Joel Embiid - 大帝 "The Great One"
"Da di," meaning "great emperor" is the title used in Chinese for rulers who are called "the Great," as in "Alexander the Great"
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
46m46 minutes ago
More
Tim Duncan - 石佛 "The Stone Buddha"
Due to his perceived unemotional nature
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
45m45 minutes ago
More
Hakeem Olajuwon was known as "The Dream" in English, but this got upgraded to 大夢 ("The Big Dream") in Chinese.
2 replies 4 retweets 51 likes
Reply 2 Retweet 4 Like 51
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
40m40 minutes ago
More
Anthony Davis - 浓眉 "The Thick Brow"
No surprises here.
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
5m5 minutes ago
More
Tristan Thompson - 八贤王 "The King of Eights"
Thompson held out of training camp in 2015 and received a contract worth more than 80 million, despite averaging only 8 points and 8 rebounds in 2014-2015.
"The King of Eights" was a nickname for several historical Chinese rulers.
Nick Kapur
@nick_kapur
39s39 seconds ago
More
Andre Miller - 莫文蔚 "Karen Mok"
Because people think he looks like Hong Kong actress and pop star Karen Mok
bob
.
bobheckler- Posts : 61563
Join date : 2009-10-28
Similar topics» Recounting some of the best Celtic nicknames
» The 5 Weirdest Nicknames in Celtics History
» NBA May Have Heat and Nets Wear Nicknames On Jerseys
» Miami players, Boston players talk Game 1. Pierce and Richardson beef?
» Report: Players union to set up fund to help retired, destitute players medical expenses
» The 5 Weirdest Nicknames in Celtics History
» NBA May Have Heat and Nets Wear Nicknames On Jerseys
» Miami players, Boston players talk Game 1. Pierce and Richardson beef?
» Report: Players union to set up fund to help retired, destitute players medical expenses
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|