The Real Names Of NBA Players That We Don't Hear Too Often: "How TF Did Middleton Go From James To Khris"

NBA players get the chance to perform on a global platform on a nightly basis. Because of this incredible exposure, they become household names across the world, achieving massive fame through the league.

One of the biggest facets of the NBA is nicknames. Players often earn nicknames through their incredible play, a name that acknowledges a particular facet of their game or their mentality in a clever way.

Shaquille O'Neal had the most nicknames, with Superman and Diesel being the most widely used nicknames. Both names perfectly encapsulated just how dominant Shaq was during the prime of his career, getting anything he wanted if he put his mind to it.

Kobe Bryant's nickname was the 'Black Mamba', another perfect example of a nickname perfectly capturing a player's trait. Much like the Mamba snake, Kobe could strike at any time with incredible venom and ferocity, leaving his opponents dazed and confused.

But what about other players who don't go by their real names? There are players in the NBA who choose to use a different name, as compared to their given names. These are usually derived from some aspect of their name, mostly middle names.

Several NBA players in the league today choose to go by a different name, that is mistaken to be their legal, given name. Players like PJ Tucker, Khris Middleton, Bam Adebayo, among others, don't go by their real names in the league.

The Real Names Of NBA Players We Don't Hear Too Often

Bam Adebayo: Edrice Adebayo

CJ McCollum: Christian McCollum

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Shaivonte Gilgeous-Alexander

PJ Tucker: Anthony Tucker

TJ Warren: Anthony Warren

Khris Middleton: James Khristian Middleton

NBA fans reacted to these real names in hilarious fashion. Most fans were confused about how these players derived the names they go by, as they held little similarity with their actual given names.