Basketball is one of the world's most popular and widely viewed sports. The National Basketball Association, also known as NBA, is the most popular and widely considered to be the highest level of professional basketball in the world and NBA players are the world's best paid sportsmen, by average annual salary per player. If you are a basketball fan, you could consider name your beloved puppy with a Basketball-inspired name. Here comes our selection of
sporty dog names inspired by basketball, and these names are after great basketball coaches, teams, and players of NBA.
Barkley: Charles Barkley, an American retired professional basketball player and current analyst on the television program Inside the NBA. Nicknamed "Chuck", "Sir Charles", and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards.
Blazer: The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The team has advanced to the NBA Finals three times, winning the NBA championship once in 1977.
Buck: The Milwaukee Bucks is an American professional basketball franchise based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The team is currently valued at $675 million according to Forbes, ranking second-to-last in the league. They have featured such notable players as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sidney Moncrief, Oscar Robertson, Bob Dandridge, Bob Lanier, Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, Ray Allen, Sam Cassell, Junior Bridgeman, Michael Redd, Terry Cummings, Vin Baker, Jon McGlocklin, Marques Johnson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brian Winters, and Jabari Parker.
Clipper: The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in NBA as a member club of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. In 2013, the franchise won its first division title, as the team made the playoffs for the ninth time in franchise history and the third time in the previous eight seasons. They repeated as division champions in 2014.
Daly: Charles Jerome "Chuck" Daly, an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to consecutive NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990, and the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team to the gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. Daly is a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, being inducted in 1994 for his individual coaching career and in 2010 was posthumously inducted as the head coach of the "Dream Team". The Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award is named after him.
Dirk: Dirk Nowitzki, a German professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of NBA. Nowitzki is considered one of the greatest power forwards in basketball history. Nowitzki is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA-history, currently being ranked 6th in all-time scoring with over 29,000 regular-season points.
Dolph: Adolph "Dolph" Schayes was an American professional basketball player and coach in NBA. A top scorer and rebounder, he was a 12-time NBA All-Star and a 12-time All-NBA selection. Schayes won an NBA championship with the Syracuse Nationals in 1955. He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Dominique: Jacques Wilkins, nicknamed the Human Highlight Film for his impressive “windmill” dunks, is one of the greatest dunkers in the history of the sport. Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star, and is widely viewed as one of the best dunkers in NBA history. In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jazz: The Utah Jazz is an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Jazz compete in NBA as a member club of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Valued in 2015 at $850 million by Forbes, the Jazz rank as the 20th most valuable franchise in the NBA ahead of the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks.
Jordan: Michael Jordan, also known by his initials, MJ, is an American retired professional basketball player. According to the NBA’s official website, Michael Jordan, by acclaim, is the greatest basketball player in the history of the sport. Known as “Air Jordan” and his “Airness” for his long flight slam dunks, Jordan is one of the best marketed players in the history of American sports. Jordan’s good looks, affable nature and remarkable talent are credited with raising the popularity of the NBA worldwide.
Julius: Julius Erving, commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American retired basketball player who helped popularize a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and playing above the rim. Erving won three championships, four Most Valuable Player Awards, and three scoring titles with the ABA's Virginia Squires and New York Nets and the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. He was well known for slam dunking from the free throw line in slam dunk contests and was the only player voted Most Valuable Player in both ABA and NBA.
Knick: The New York Knickerbockers, commonly referred to as the Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in New York City. The Knicks compete in NBA as a member club of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, located in the borough of Manhattan.
Magic: Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr., an American retired professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of NBA for 13 seasons. Johnson's career achievements include three NBA MVP Awards, nine NBA Finals appearances, twelve All-Star games, and ten All-NBA First and Second Team nominations.
Malone: Karl Malone is an American retired professional basketball player. Nicknamed "The Mailman", Malone played the power forward position and spent his first 18 seasons in NBA with the Utah Jazz and formed a formidable duo with his teammate John Stockton. Malone was a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, a 14-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time member of the All-NBA first team. He is considered among the greatest power forwards in NBA history.
Maverick: The Dallas Mavericks are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in NBA as a member club of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. According to a 2016 Forbes magazine report, they are the ninth most valuable basketball franchise in the NBA.
Ming: Yao Ming, a Chinese retired professional basketball player who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Houston Rockets of NBA. He was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. At the time of his final season, he was the tallest active player in the NBA. He is the only player outside of the United States to lead the NBA in All-Star voting.
Moses: Moses Malone was an American basketball player who played in both ABA and NBA from 1974 through 1995. The center was named the NBA Most Valuable Player three times and was a 12-time NBA All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection. Malone won his only NBA championship in 1983, when he was both the league and Finals MVP with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2001.
Muskie: The Minnesota Muskies were a member of the American Basketball Association, born with the league's creation on February 2, 1967. L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson were the owners after paying a franchise fee of $30,000.
Pacer: The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The team is named after Indiana's history with the Indianapolis 500's pace cars and with the harness racing industry. The Pacers have won three championships, all in the ABA. The Pacers were Eastern Conference champions in 2000. The team has won nine division titles.
Piper: The Cleveland Pipers was an American industrial basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1950s and early 1960s. The Pipers are most known for having played in the short-lived American Basketball League from 1961–62, arguably as that brief pro league's pivotal franchise.
Pippen: Scottie Pippen, an American retired professional basketball player who played in NBA. Nicknamed "Pip", he is most remembered for his time with the Chicago Bulls, the team with which he won six NBA titles. One of the most talented and versatile players of all time, Scottie Pippen was regarded as the ultimate “triple-double threat.” With Michael Jordan at his side, the Chicago Bulls won 6 NBA Championships.
Riley: Patrick James "Pat" Riley, an American professional basketball executive, and a former coach and player in NBA. He has been the team president of the Miami Heat since 1995 and head coach in two separate tenures. Widely regarded as one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time, Riley has served as the head coach of five championship teams, four with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Heat.
Smitty: Dean "Smitty" Smith, an American men's college basketball head coach, called a "coaching legend" by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he coached for 36 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Spud: Spud Webb, an American retired professional basketball point guard. Webb, who played NBA, is notable for winning a slam dunk contest despite being one of the shortest players in NBA history.
Spur: The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association. The team moved to San Antonio, Texas for the 1973–74 season and were renamed the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs joined NBA for the 1976–77 NBA season as a result of the ABA–NBA merger.
Wizard: The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C.. The Wizards compete in NBA, as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at the Verizon Center, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Worthy: James Worthy, an American retired Hall of Fame professional basketball player. Named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA champion and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP. Named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, he was #1 pick of the 1982 NBA draft of the reigning NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Zaza: Zaza Pachulia, a Georgian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of NBA. He was born as Zaur Pachulia, but his first name was legally changed to Zaza. While he holds Turkish citizenship, Pachulia plays internationally for Georgia, captaining his national team in multiple tournaments.
See also