Damn...Joe probly out for rest of year! AJC*

[AHF]

Timely done, Chris Broussard gave the following top 10 basketball nicknames today:

I'm at spring training in St. Petersburg, Fla., working on a baseball story for The Magazine. (Surprised you with my versatility, huh?).

Anyway, I picked up Wednesday's St. Petersburg Times and saw a column by John C. Cotey on his Top 10 boxing nicknames of all time.

That got me thinking. Hmmm, what are the best basketball nicknames of all time? So I put together this quick list for fun. Be forewarned, I may have left some out since this was done off the top of the dome.

1) Doctor J (Julius Erving) -- It was tough for me to rate these nicknames because so many were great, but No. 1 was an easy choice. This nickname was unique (just like his game), classy (just like his personality), fitting (who else operated like Doc?). I can't say enough about the nickname "Doctor J."

2) Magic (Earvin Johnson) -- This nickname is so great that many don't even know Magic's real name. Like any truly awesome nickname, this one fit Earvin to a tee, as he worked basketball magic like no one else. For the record, Magic supplanted The Doctor as my favorite player when he put up the 42, 15 and 7 against Doc and the Sixers in '80.

3) Air Jordan (Michael Jordan) -- I hate to keep saying this, but again, the nickname was right on point. I really believe MJ could fly -- at least for a few seconds. The logo was pretty sweet too, and the sneakers were even sweeter. And for the record, Air Jordan supplanted Magic, who supplanted Doc, as my favorite player some time in the late '80s.

4) Earl the Pearl (Earl Monroe) -- Silky nickname for a silky game. You had the rhyme element as well. Dare I say Earl was a hip-hop pioneer? This handle was so sweet that one of my favorite college players of all time (Dwayne "Pearl'' Washington) borrowed it, even though it sounded terrible with his name.

5) The Human Highlight Film (Dominique Wilkens) -- Too long to overtake his government name in everyday conversation, but still a very nasty nickname.

6) Pistol Pete (Pete Maravich) -- Not politically correct enough to fly in today's climate, but so what? The nickname was the bomb! Wait, can I say that?

7) Sir Charles (Charles Barkley) -- This is the rare gem of a nickname that doesn't fit the player at all. Would a "Sir Charles'' spit on a fan, toss someone out a window, etc…? But hey, Barkley was/is great and so was this handle.

8) King James (LeBron James) -- This nickname may rise on the list as the years go by, especially if LeBron truly becomes the undisputed King of the league (like I think he will).

9) Hakeem the Dream (Hakeem Olajuwon) -- Again, we've got the rhyme, plus this nickname spawned a beautiful offspring called "The Dream Shake.''

10) The Reign Man (Shawn Kemp) -- Oh, this was just ridiculous. Perfect because Kemp was in Seattle, where it rains 70 percent of the time. And when he came falling out of the sky to dunk on someone's head, it was like a thunderstorm.

Best of the rest: The Matrix (Shawn Marion), The Answer (Allen Iverson), Half-Man/Half-Amazing (Vince Carter, only fell short because no one besides Kenny Smith seems to use it), The Admiral (David Robinson), Muggsy (Tyrone Bogues), Shaq Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal, feel short because Shaq's got so many nicknames it's ridiculous), Clyde (Walt Frazier).

By the way, John Cotey's best boxing nickname was "The Greatest" (Muhammad Ali). Can't argue with that one.

* * * * * * *

One notable ommission, IMO, is "basketball jesus" for Bird.

[Johann]

i always thought julius erving (dr j) actually had a PhD

[Johnnybravo4]

Hey he may have another nickname, K Dog just came to my mind. But if you hear it on Sportscenter, you know I made it up. lol

I think that the best nicknames are those that are so synonomous that you forget their real names

Catfish Hunter

Magic Johnson

Dr. J

Chipper Jones

Bonecrusher Smith

Blue Edwards

El Duke Hernandez

[DJlaysitup]

You gotta figure Nike is real happy that Mr. Woods goes by "Tiger" instead of Eldridge.