How it works
This basketball player name generator makes up a player in four parts, for example PG Darius “Dime” Holloway. The names are invented: a script checked each first name and surname pair against about 40,000 real basketball players and cut every match.
Read the full guide
Fill a roster of twelve
Need two point guards? Lock PG and press twice. Want brothers on the same team? Lock the surname and change the rest. When the five starters look right, Print 30 players gives you a bench, a rival team and spares for a video game franchise or a short story.
What the nicknames mean
All 40 come from basketball slang, and the list under the tool explains each one. Swish is a shot that touches nothing but net. Dime means an assist. Swat is a blocked shot. Brick is a miss that clangs off the rim: a nickname for the teammate who can take a joke.
Questions and answers
Is any name on here a real player?
It should not be. Every first name was tried with every surname, and any pair that matched one of about 40,000 basketball players on Wikidata, or a player on this site's roster pages, was removed. Somebody who never played professionally may still have the name.
What are PG, SG, SF, PF and C?
The five positions. The point guard (PG) runs the offense and the shooting guard (SG) is usually the best scorer. The small forward (SF) is the all-rounder, and the power forward (PF) and center (C) play nearest the basket.
Why are there names from so many countries?
Basketball rosters are international, so the first names and surnames come in three sets: the USA and Canada, Europe, and the rest of the world. Each part is drawn on its own, which is how Dusan ends up with Holloway.