Who is CB4? Why does Kobe Bryant call himself the Mamba? Kidzworld looks at nicknames of your favorite NBA superstars.
Player: Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers.
Nickname: The Mamba.
Story Behind The Name: Kobe Bryant nicknamed himself The Mamba, after one of the world's deadliest snakes. According to Kobe, "The Mamba can strike with 99 percent accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession. That's the kind of basketball precision I want to have." The deadly Mamba snake is also known for raising itself four feet off the ground when threatened and being virtually impossible to kill. After draining 81 points in a game in 2006, Kobe has certainly lived up to his name. He's virtually impossible to stop and is deadly from close range.
Player: Shawn Marion, Phoenix Suns.
Nickname: The Matrix.
Story Behind The Name: Shawn Marion picked up The Matrix nickname because his gravity-defying style of play resembles the slow-motion action scenes from The Matrix movie. Marion's amazing athleticism and his bizarre jump shot that falls with great accuracy indicates this NBA superstar may in fact be some sort of proto-human who is not from this world.
Player: Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Suns.
Nickname: STAT.
Story Behind The Name: The amazing Amare Stoudemire's nickname is STAT, which is short for Standing Tall And Talented. Stoudemire picked up this nickname during his rookie season in the NBA and he now has the moniker tattooed on his arm. While Amare certainly does stand tall and is quite talented, the nickname isn't the most original.
Player: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers.
Nickname: The Answer.
Story Behind The Name: The talented and hard-working Iverson earned the nickname, The Answer, soon after being drafted by the Sixers and becoming the team's leading scorer. Iverson has certainly been The Answer to many of the 76ers problems after leading them to the NBA Finals and being named NBA MVP in 2001. But Iverson's behavior has also led to many questions such as, "Why are you making bad rap albums?" and "How did you let yourself get Punk'd! so easily by Ashton Kutcher?"
Player: Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat.
Nickname: The Big Diesel, Shaq Attack.
Story Behind The Name: Shaquille O'Neal has picked up several nicknames since arriving in the NBA in 1992. The Shaq Attack emerged after O'Neal attacked and destroyed several NBA backboards during his rookie season with his monsterous and powerful dunks. The Big Diesel refers to the way Shaq plays basketball - like a big and powerful engine. While O'Neal is getting older, he's still a powerful machine in the paint and his nickames fit.
Player: Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptors.
Nickname: CB4.
Story Behind The Name: Not much of a story behind the nickname of talented Raptor's superstar, Chris Bosh. His initials are C.B. and he wears number 4. Put it together and you've got CB4 - a droid-like name which was also the title of a 1990s rap mockumentary starring Chris Rock. While the movie was mediocre, there's nothing mediocre about CB4, the ball player, who was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 2006.
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