Seriously, the man eclipsed Rosie O'Donnell. Rose took the nickname seriously and spent his career as a hard-nosed ball player, known for legging out extra-base hits and splendid play in the field. No. 15: Carlos Beltran. Hernndez is also known for the enormous leg kick featured in his delivery. Jeter is an iconic figure from a club renowned for outstanding players and has stood out among the games all-time greats. Wilkins played 11 seasons of NBA basketball with the Atlanta Hawks and was a nine-time NBA All-Star. Payton's defense is the stuff of NBA legend. Leonard Buck (Baseball) 5. Venus Williams has seven grand slam titles, of which 5 are at Wimbledon, making her one of the best in the game. Birth City: Oakville. His lawyer should have been named "The electric no possibility of victory but still attempting attorney.". The Pro Football Hall of Famer has 16,726 career yards, along with 110 TDs on the ground. Gretzky won four Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers during the 1980s, before he was dealt in a blockbuster deal to the Los Angeles Kings. Over the course of his prolific career, he wore the #80 for three different teams, but is best remembered for wearing it in the red and gold of the San Francisco 49ers. Although Mike Bossy only played 752 games, he . No list of the best athletes is complete without "The Greatest" Muhammad Ali. For certain teams, some numbers hold a special place in club lore and the hearts of the fans. These two sisters dominate women's tennis, changing the sport from one of finesse and skill into one characterizing violent power. It was Mike Bratz, a point guard who played 15 games in the 1982-83 season). Gordon earned his nickname when he burst on to the scene in 1989 at the age of 21, when he went 17-9 in his first full season in the majors. Michael Jordan's #23 is the most iconic number in the history of sports. In the postseason, no one is more dominant in baseball than Jeter. The tall glass of water got his famous alias from multiple sources: According to Paige, his nickname originated from childhood work toting bags at the train station. In modern sports, athletes are valuable assets that are the centerpiece of advertising campaigns and the faces of their organizations. Reese was a 10-time All-Star and two-time World Series Champion with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Derek Lowe (Boston Red Sox) 6. "The Snake" was a nickname given to him after the likeness of professional wrestler, Jake "The Snake" Roberts. 26 Further reading. 99 for years because of an admiration for the football playerMark Gastineau, who also wore No. As owner of the Kansas City A's, Charles O. Finley thought his new pitcher needed a solid nickname, and citing Hunter's giant 'stache which looked like a catfish's whiskers, gave him the nickname "catfish.". The Rams and Jets QB also did several endorsement commercials during his playing days, including this one for pantyhose, no joke. Kuko is considered one of the best wingmen to ever play the game, and therefore might be the only man on the planet capable of gettingFranck Ribry a real date. The nickname may not be specific to the Yankees shortstop, but he personifies the alliterative nickname with consistent big hits when needed most. Most recently, Suarez brought the shirt some disgrace with his on-field antics, but he also helped Liverpool mount their best title challenge in over a decade. Hayes earned many nicknames during his playing days, such as "The Judge" and his self-proclaimed "Jedi" alias for his pre-Super Bowl XVIII quotes stating he was "The only true Jedi in the NFL" (Star Wars was immensely popular in the late '70s and early '80s). It seemed so right to give him the nickname, giventhe man many consider to be the best boxer of all-time is also named "Sugar Ray" (Robinson). Due to his legal troubles, Jones has requested he now be known simply as "Adam Jones" in an effort to separate his new under-the-radar personality from his past troubles with the law. A 7'1" tree with more nicknames than points per game (4.0 career average), Joel Przybilla is a force to be reckoned with; if mostly in the Name Hall of Fame. Naim Sleymanolu (Weightlifting)- Pocket Hercules. Namath's nickname "Broadway Joe" was given him bySherman Plunkett, a Jets teammate. These numbers can be passed down from one club legend to the next, as the tradition is in soccer. He earned the moniker "The Little General" for his leadership abilities on the court and also his fiery, competitive nature as a player. The eccentric cross-dresser earned his play in NBA history as a Champion with the Chicago Bulls, and as a psycho, after kicking a camera man in the jewels, drawing a record number of technical fouls, tearing his jersey off before leaving the court when ejected, wearing a dress for a promotion on multiple occasions, piercing every area of his body and dating Carmen Electra. John Cena is number 9 in our list of the top 10 most famous athletes in the world. Named for his cool demeanor on a basketball court, Gervin played in both the ABA and the NBA, and it has been said at his ABA tryout in Virginia, he made 22-of-25 three-point attempts. Ryan recorded 5,714 strikeouts, 324 wins and a TKO of Robin Ventura in his 27-year career. However, Newton underwent verticalgastrectomy,in February 2010,a surgical operation that removes up to 75 percent of a patient's stomach and staples the remainder. Orenthal James was shortened to O.J., which is an acronym shared by "Orange Juice," and there you have it. The obvious alliteration is a testament to his power-hitting prowess and home run tally as a player. Jim Umbricht (Houston Astros) 10. 3 has become a symbol of pride for NASCAR fans everywhere, and he is remembered as being fearless while winning seven Sprint Cup Championships and four IROC Championships in 677 races spanning 27 years. The ESPN World Fame 100 is our annual attempt to create a ranking, through statistical analysis, of the 100 most famous athletes on the planet.. We started with Forbes' annual list of the highest . There's something about being a football player while making a living in Chicago that attracts nicknames like a moth to a flame. If the Cuban pitcher ever wanted to sue the founder of Pilates, he may have a solid case. Also known as simply "A.I.," Iverson became known as "The Answer" in his first tour of duty with the Philadelphia 76ers. Jones owes his alias to his family, who constantly told him he was "A chip-off-the-old-block," in reference to his father. Not every player to wear the #7 has found success with the club, but it has been donned by icons that have had a lasting impact on the beautiful game. This nickname isn't creative at all, but is so synonymous with the Yankees third baseman it deserves a mention on the countdown. As far as boxing nicknames are concerned, "The Executioner" isn't very imaginative but still intimidating. 13, is right above him at the No. The best players to wear 18 as their jersey numbers are sprinkled across all major sports. Jackson spent 12 years in the majors with thePhiladelphia Athletics(19081909),Cleveland Naps/Indians(19101915) andChicago White Sox(19151920). Toggle the table of contents . The tall glass of water is a solid shooter, and therefore, the gun jokes just flow. He is best known for his unusual running style, which some say he developed running cross legged over four square cement sidewalk blocks in his home town. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He hit 40 or more home runs in five consecutive seasons (195357) and averaged 42 home runs, 124RBI, 123 runs and a .320 batting average between 1953-1956. 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William Wilson received the nickname "Mookie" as a child, when his mother noticed he was having trouble asking her for more "milk.". An eight-time Pro Bowl . He retired with the most wins of any quarterback in NFL history (which would later be broken by Favre, Brady, and Manning). When Magic Johnson was drafted with the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft, he had to change his #33 from Michigan State, which belonged to the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. There are so many famous AKAs in the world of sports, and many deserve their place at the top of the heap. Elway played all sixteen seasons with the Denver Broncos wearing the #7. As captain of the Yankees, Jeter epitomized the clubs ideals and excelled on the field. and the name stuck. Gabby Douglas, is an American gymnast who became the first African American in Olympic history to win the individual all-around event at the 2012 Summer Games. Jordan adopted the number in high school because his brother wore his preferred #45. His legacy will live on in college basketball and the hearts of his students forever. White was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and was a 13-time Pro Bowl selection. (A special thanks to The Sandlot for assisting with this slide), 8Pro Bowlselection (1981,1983,1984,1985,1987,1989,1990,1993), 3 First TeamAll-Proselection (1987,1989,1990), 3 Second Team All-Pro selection (1981,1983,1984), 4Super Bowlchampion (XVI,XIX,XXIII,XXIV). In 1993, he signed the most lucrative contract in NBA history (at that time) to play for the Hornets, a 12-year, $84 million deal. Like English . DiMaggio was bound to earn a few nicknames in his playing days, and "Joltin' Joe" was just the beginning. Let's start with the two most simple nicknames: Mike and MJ. By the 1930s numbers on uniforms were standard practice for Major League Baseball teams and were common in other sports like football and hockey. The nickname "Spider" is a reference to Salley's fear of arachnids, which, according to him, was conquered during his time on the 2009 reality television showI'm a CelebrityGet Me out of Here! In his playing days, Jerome was a six-time Pro Bowl selection and a Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL. While his nickname is creative, it is also a prime example of racial prejudice and bigotry. the sword to D'Artagnan . Wayne Gretzky is widely considered the best hockey player ever to play the game, in the same conversations with Gordie Howe and Brett Hull. When the Reading Red Roses took the field in 1907, they changed sports history forever. Gordie Howe is considered one of the best hockey players in history but is also known for his friendly personality, kind demeanor, longevity as a player and prolific goal-scoring. Jordan is widely considered to be the greatest basketball player of all-time, with six NBA titles, five MVP awards, and fourteen All-Star Game appearances. 24 See also. Jeter was the cornerstone of the Yankees during their tremendous success in the 1990s and 2000s. 4 in assists and Nash, another who wore No. There have been many outstanding athletes to dawn the number 23. Very few athletes have earned their nickname quite like Dominique Wilkins. Ranker Sports. Johnston got his moniker from a teammate on the Dallas Cowboys, Babe Laufenberg, a second-string quarterback. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Over 75 years after Ruth's professional baseball career ended, he is still regarded as the best baseball player to ever live. The switch worked because Magic and the Showtime Lakers won the NBA Title in 1980 and would go on to win four more before the end of Magics career. Nash led the league in assists five times. In many other sports, numbers of club legends are retired from use and placed in the rafters to be revered by generations of fans. The nickname stuck throughout his career and separated his fairly common name from the rest of the herd. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his nine NFL seasons, led the league in rushing eight times, and earned four MVP awards. Also nicknamed "The Silver Fox"and just known by the shorter "Duke" Snider, the former Brooklyn Dodgers slugger was often compared to other New York outfielders such as Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle and earned the nickname "The Duke of Flatbush" after an area in New York City called "Flatbush" and his accolades as a hitter. From Quiz: American Sports Nicknames. 28) on his jersey, the same number that Vaughn wore in the film. Poor preparation, missing an important detail, or completely offend a certain segment of the audience. Gender: Male. Hall of Fame player Alex English deserves some recognition for wearing No. Applicants are ranked on creativity, unique jargon and consideration of prominence. George Best, Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo have all sported the #7 during their successful exploits with the club. Jordans incredible career has inspired hundreds of athletes to wear #23, including LeBron James. If a player did anything to attract attention to themselves, and not the team, he would be benched. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. 4: Brett Favre, QB Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers , New York Jets , Minnesota Vikings He was a larger than life figure that was known for crushing home runs and winning seven World Series titles. Michael Jordans #23 is the most iconic number in the history of sports. Jackie Robinson passed away on October 24, 1972, at age 53. 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