Are these the best nicknames in sports history?

Sports teams and nicknames are synonymous with one another. With the camaraderie of teamwork and sharing a locker room, players develop in jokes which sometimes spill over into the real world and the name sticks for eternity. Here are some of the best nicknames in sports history.

The nickname ‘The Fridge’ immediately conjures an image of what William Perry might look like and you would most likely be correct. A giant man with humorously large shoulders, Perry was a defensive tackle in the NFL for 10 seasons and was part of the great 1985 Bears team.

The late Kobe Bryant was a basketball great, with 5 NBA Championships under his belt and myriad personal awards as well. The Black Mamba was a self-given nickname which became an alter-ego for Bryant who would go into his ‘Mamba Mentality’ during big moments.

An icon of Indian cricket, Dravid played with a stoicism which became a part of cricketing legend. An obstinate batter who simply refused to get out at times, The Wall refers to how tough he was to get through, a blocker in the path of his opposition.

One of the fastest bowlers of all time, Brett Lee was a big part of possibly the greatest cricket team ever assembled. His nickname comes from Bing Lee, an Australian electronics store. Somehow it fits him nicely though.

This is sort of cheating as ‘Babe’ is already George Herman Ruth’s nickname, but when you are as iconic as Ruth, you earn more than one nickname in your career. Sultan of Swat emerged from New York sportswriters after Ruth’s move from Boston and it feels like a perfect encapsulation of 1920s sport and Ruth’s ability to clear the outfield.

A huge part of one of the great West Indian sides, Holding is a cricketing great and has one of the very best nicknames out there. Whilst many fast bowlers stomp and huff through their run ups, Holding would silently glide as if on air, and more often than not, the batter wouldn’t have an answer. Whispering Death it is.

Hirsch was a versatile gridiron player in the 1940s and 50s, leaving his mark on NFL history with spots on the 50th and 100th year anniversary teams. With his unique running style making him hard to tackle due to the twisting and turn of his legs, Crazylegs was born and stuck with him throughout his career.

The best there ever was and possibly the best there ever will be, Wayne Gretzky holds pretty much every record there is to hold in NHL history. The Great One is a simple nickname, but there’s no need to overcomplicate things with someone this good.

Given to wide receiver Hogan during the filming of the Miami Dolphins’ training camp by the Hard Knocks documentary, the nickname is very simple. Chris Hogan is always open, just like 7/11.

Fast bowlers and nicknames seem to pair rather well together, and there is no faster bowler in history than Shoaib Akhtar with a recorded speed of 161.3 kph. Hailing from Rawalpindi in Pakistan and being so quick at bowling, the nickname is relatively self explanatory.

One of the greatest defensive players ever to pull on pads and a helmet, Richard Lane was an icon of the 50s and 60s NFL. He still holds the record for most interceptions in a year at 14 in an era where throwing the ball was far less common. Nicknamed Night Train for his repeated playing of a song of the same name by Jimmy Forrest whilst a Los Angeles Ram.

In the conversation for one of the best NBA players of all time, Wilt Chamberlain holds a whole bunch of scoring records to this day, including the famous 100-point game, which may never be matched. Wilt was known as 'The Stilt' to some, but 'The Big Dipper' was his preferred moniker, coming from his need to duck under doorways due to his 7’1” frame.

Nikolai Valuev holds the record for being both the tallest and heaviest world champion boxer in history. Standing over seven tall and weighing a whopping 328 lbs, he dwarfs most heavyweight boxers, usually not small men themselves. Nicknamed the 'Beast from the East' by promoter Kellie Maloney, Valuev’s interest in classical music and literature belied his nickname and chosen profession.

Giles played over 100 international games of cricket for England, operating as a very useful left arm spinner. When an order for novelty mugs came back emblazoned with ‘King of Spain’ rather than ‘King of Spin’, the nickname stuck to much merriment. The Spanish monarch at the time wasn’t laughing, with King Juan Carlos of Madrid commenting, “I do not know who this Ashley Giles is, but I can assure him that I am the King of Spain.”

Before The Great One, there was The Rocket, so called due to a quip from a teammate stating Richard "went in like a rocket". Winning eight Stanley Cup championships with his hometown Montreal Canadiens, Richard was the greatest player of his era. Regularly breaking his own scoring records, The Rocket is enshrined in NHL lore with the personal scoring trophy named after him.