While LeBron might be “King James” in Cleveland and Richard Hamilton goes by “Rip” in Detroit, China has its own way of nicknaming the NBA’s elite players. Last week, the NBA released an interesting list of NBA players and how they are called in the Middle Kingdom. While some of these monikers, namely “German Racecar” and “French Magician,” seem completely strange, most of the names do capture the essence of the player (like “Stone Buddha” for Tim Duncan). So the next time you find yourself watching an NBA game with a Mandarin speaker, and for most of you this will never happen, maybe you can try one of these out. For instance the next time Carmelo Anthony throws a cheap shot during a game, tell your Chinese friend, “Hey, Sweet Melon fights like a bitch.”

Player	Chinese Nickname	Translation	NBA.com Explanation
LeBron James	小皇帝 Xiao Huang Di	Little Emperor	Direct translation of English nickname "King James"
Dirk Nowitzki	德国战车 De Guo Zhan Che	German Racecar	Dirk’s ability to roll on court like a racecar. And he is a player from Germany.
Carmelo Anthony	甜瓜 Tian Gua	Sweet Melon	The nickname "’Melo" resembles "Melon." "Sweet Melon" refers to Carmelo’s sweet and cute appearance
Richard Hamilton	面具人 Mian Ju Ren	Man in the Mask	Hamilton’s habit of wearing a mask on court
Shaquille O’Neal	俠客 Xia Ke	Warrior	"Xia Ke" means righteous and respectful warriors in ancient China
Kevin Garnett	狼王 Lang Wang	King of the Wolves	Meaning leader of the Timberwolves
Vince Carter	飞人 Fei Ren	Flying Man	Carter’s ability to leap and make amazing dunks
Boris Diaw	法国魔术 Fa Guo Mo Shu Shi	French Magician	Diaw’s ability to play basketball as if playing magic. And he is a player from France.
Tim Duncan	石佛 Shi Fo	Stone Buddha	Duncan is very strong and calm just like the Buddha.
Emanuel Ginobili	关键先生 A Gan Ting Fei Ren	Argentina’s Flying Man	Ginobili’s ability to jump. And he is a player from Argentina

•NBA.com: Chinese Nicknames for NBA Players

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