10 Best Fantasy Basketball Names (With Accompanying Strategies)
Below, you'll find our 10 favorite fantasy basketball names this season, with a brief blurb about each option. Be sure to check back with us regularly for all your Ohio sports betting needs:
10. Sly Like a Fox (De'Aaron Fox): “Sly as a fox” means that a person is very crafty, or sometimes even dishonest. But if you are sly as a fox, you are experienced and cunning. And that means you will build your team(s) in your fantasy basketball leagues around a point guard who did not get enough national publicity last season while running the show for the NBA's highest scoring team. Make sure you add Domantas Sabonis on your roster, and those two Kings will be the building blocks of a fantasy team that gets a large amount of assists from the center position. Sabonis will be about half the price as Nikola Jokic.
9. The Gobert Report (Rudy Gobert): As every fantasy player knows, blocked shots are very hard to find. Gobert has gotten enough of them over his career to win three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, and if you can somehow also get Brook Lopez, you not only will win that category but you can flip Gobert at your league's trade deadline, hang into Lopez (and his 3s) and get whatever category you are weak in. In 10-cat leagues, blocks can make the difference between first and fifth place.
8. Beal or No Beal (Bradley Beal): We know he can score, and the Suns will score in bunches with Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker all aboard. What makes Beal especially interesting is that the Suns plan to use him at point guard, a position he has never played. So he could be a sneaky assist guy, and chances are that Durant and Booker will carry higher asking prices. Beal averaged 109 steals the last two seasons he played 82 games. And steals are like blocks: Hard to find.
7. The Zion King (Zion Williamson): You know you are a true gambler if you build around this guy, who has never played more than 61 games since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2019. But probably half of the teams in your league are going to steer clear, and the guy will produce massive points, rebounds and assists totals when he plays. Word to the wise: Balance your roster with a high-volume top free throw shooter, because Zion is a heavy 70 percent-ish foul shooter who can drag you down in that category.
6. Franz Ferdinand (Franz Wagner): If you were paying attention over the summer, you know that Germany won the FIBA World Cup behind the play of this guy, his brother, Moritz, and FIBA World Cup MVP Dennis Schroeder, who is the new starting point guard in Toronto, replacing Fred Van Vleet. So your strategy is to draft all three Germans, drink Hefeweizen beer (with a lemon slice) during your draft/auction, and outsmart everyone in your league because nobody is picking much off the Orlando roster. With those extra funds because you bought low on the three Germans, get at least two studs.
5. Just a Small Towns Girl (Karl-Anthony Towns): With this guy, you are going to get blocks and 3s out of this center-eligible power forward who needs to stay healthy the same way Zion does. If Minnesota stays healthy throughout the season, they can be sneaky good. Mike Conley is always a solid value pick at point guard because he provides assists without turnovers and is very good at the free throw line while logging heavy minutes. Let the big spenders blow their salary cap on Ant-Man. There are 20 Ant-Mans around the league.
4. There Goes My Herro (Tyler Herro): Yes, we all expected him to be dealt for Damian Lillard, and then he wasn't. He will log very heavy minutes for a team that tends to let its superstar duo of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo go at three-quarters speed during the regular season, and Herro is not only solid in all categories except blocks, he led the entire NBA in free throw percentage at nearly 94 percent. You also need to find Herro clones ... guys who do just about everything and make their free throws. Guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Mikal Bridges, Anfernee Simons, Lauri Markkanen.
3. Better Call Ball (LaMelo Ball): Remember what we said above about under-the-radar teams like Orlando? Well, the Charlotte Hornets fit squarely into that category, too, and they are going to run their best players for heavy, heavy minutes. Ball shots nearly 85 percent at the line and gets big assist, rebound and steals numbers but is a heavy 41 percent from the field, which you will need to balance out with the rest of your roster. But again, he is a stud fantasy player whose place will be deflated because nobody pays attention to the Hornets. Terry Rozier will be a sneaky good cheap Charlotte pick, too, but also is a heavy 41-42 percent shooter.
2. Luka Skywalker (Luka Doncic): If you want to build a team with triple-double guys and bums (a fantasy term, folks), go out and get Luka and Nikola Jokic and Josh Giddey and then fill in the rest with cheapsters that you have done your homework on. (Think Richaun Holmes, O.G. Anunoby, Josh Hart, etc.) Concentrate on dudes who get blocks and steals, because you will not get those from your triple-double guys. If it a tough strategy because many owners try to employ it, and the way your draft is conducted will determine whether it is viable for you.
1. Dame Time (Damian Lillard): The Milwaukee Bucks now have two of the six players who averaged at least 30 points per game last season, and you can be fairly certain that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be pricier than Dame Dollar. The Bucks will be raining 3s like nobody's business, and grabbing Brook Lopez and Malik Beasley can help you kill it in that category. The cost of Lillard means you will have to value shop for two other point guards, and remember that you must have three starting point guards to have a shot at winning, especially if assist-to-turnover ratio is one of your categories.
25 Funny Fantasy Basketball Names
If our top-10 names didn't work for you, don't worry, we've got you covered. Here are a few more names we love for this upcoming season:
- Adam's Family (Steven Adams)
- Fantastic De'Aaron Fox (De'Aaron Fox)
- Mr. Whiteside (Hasan Whiteside)
- Carry On My Hayward Son (Gordon Hayward)
- Afflalo Creed (Aaron Afflalo)
- Ball Out Boy (Jimmy Butler)
- The Gobert Report (Rudy Gobert)
- Everybody Loves Draymond (Draymond Green)
- Everybody Hates Chris (Chris Paul)
- Apocalypse Noah (Joakim Noah)
- Beal or No Beal (Bradley Beal)
- The Big Dieng Theory (Ousmane Dieng)
- The Zion King (Zion Williamson)
- 7th Devin (Devin Booker)
- Kleber Lang (Maxi Kleber)
- Jrue Grit (Jrue Holliday)
- The Chronicles of Redick (JJ Redick)
- Full Metal Jokic (Nikola Jokic)
- Jrue Let the Dogs Out (Jrue Holliday)
- DominAyton (DeAndre Ayton)
- Franz Ferdinand (Franz Wagner)
- Livin' Lavine Da Luka (Zach Lavine & Luka Doncic)
- The Big LeBronski (LeBron James)
- Giannisty is the Best Policy (Giannis Antetokounmpo)
- Ja and Order (Ja Morant)
25 Good Fantasy Basketball Names
Still looking for more? Don't worry, there's no shortage of NBA-related puns on the internet. Here are 25 more names we found that we think you'll love this season:
- Cobra Kyrie (Kyrie Irving)
- Hooked on a Bealing (Bradley Beal)
- Devin Can Wait (Devin Booker)
- Just a Small Towns Girl (Karl-Anthony Towns)
- Don't Go Jayson Waterfalls (Jayson Tatum)
- Rock 'Em, Siakam Robots (Pascal Siakam)
- Jrue Religion (Jrue Holiday)
- Kawhi Me a River (Kawhi Leonard)
- The Jimmy Butler Did It (Jimmy Butler)
- The Lone Granger (Danny Granger)
- There Goes My Herro (Tyler Herro)
- Beam Me Up, Scottie Barnes (Scottie Barnes)
- Big Girls Don't Kawhi (Kawhi Leonard)
- Harden the Interruption (James Harden)
- I Can't Believe It's Not Butler (Jimmy Butler)
- The Granger Zone (Danny Granger)
- Better Call Ball (Lamelo Ball)
- Luka Skywalker (Luka Doncic)
- Freaks & Greeks (Giannis Anteoktounmpo)
- Cool Hand Luka (Luka Doncic)
- Ice Trae (Trae Young)
- Ingles All the Way (Joe Ingles)
- Ball of Duty (Lonzo Ball & Lamelo Ball)
- Malcolm in the Middleton (Khris Middleton & Malcolm Brogdon)
- Pretty Fly for a Whiteside (Hasan Whiteside)
20 Great NBA Fantasy Team Names
Entering a fantasy basketball league is essentially placing a bet on yourself. But if you want to place a real-money wager, we recommend you use one of the many available Ohio betting apps.
- Citizen Cade (Cade Cunningham)
- A Friend in Need is a Friend Embiid (Joel Embiid)
- Better Call Gasol (Marc Gasol, Paul Gasol)
- Wiggins Out (Andrew Wiggins)
- Empty Vassell (Devin Vassell)
- Balls of Fury (Lamelo & Lonzo Ball)
- Dame Time (Damian Lillard)
- Shai Thrillgeous Alexander (Shai Gilgeous Alexander)
- Haliburton Co. (Tyrese Haliburton)
- Himmy Butler (Jimmy Butler)
- Kawhian Punch (Kawhi Leonard)
- SGA-ATFRA (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)
- The Monstars
- James of Thrones (LeBron James)
- Winbanyama (Victor Wembanyama)
- Jamal About That Bass (Jamal Murray)
- Sir, This is a Wemby's (Victor Wembanyama)
- Mother Tucker (P.J. Tucker)
- Ja Patrol (Ja Morant)
- Kevin Can Wait (Kevin Durant)
20 More Basketball Fantasy Names
- Stairway to Kevin (Kevin Durant)
- I Need a Herro (Tyler Herro)
- Blake Griffindor (Blake Griffin)
- Clear and Present Granger (Danny Granger)
- Hermione Granger (Danny Granger)
- Biz Markieff (Markieff Morris)
- Going, Going, LeBron (LeBron James)
- Young & the Restless (Trae Young)
- KAT in the Hat (Karl-Anthony Towns)
- The Big Bam Theory (Bam Adebayo)
- The Alien (Victor Wembanyama)
- Post-Up Malone
- Ja Ja Binks (Ja Morant)
- Killian Me Softly (Killian Hayes)
- Dillon Crooks (Dillon Brooks)
- Spida Men (Donovan Mitchell)
- I Dame, I Saw, I Conquered (Damian Lillard)
- Grand Theft Otto (Otto Porter Jr.)
- Flint Michigan Tropics
- PorzinGod (Kristaps Porzingis)
10 Inappropriate Fantasy Basketball Team Names
- Hit it From Zubac (Ivica Zubac)
- OnlyFranz (Franz Wagner)
- Ja Wick (Ja Morant)
- Beats by Dray (Draymond Green)
- Zero Fox Given (De'Aaron Fox)
- Steph Infection (Steph Curry)
- Pimpin' Ain't Beasley (Malik Beasley)
- Too Hot to Randle (Julius Randle)
- 50 Shades of Klay (Klay Thompson)
- Let's Talk About Sexton (Collin Sexton)
Get Started With Your Fantasy Basketball Team Name
More important than the name of your team is the name(s) of the players that will headline it. Any knucklehead can draft Nikola Jokic or Jayson Tatum or Luka Doncic or Giannis Antetokounmpo. What we have learned through (too many) decades of experience is that fielding four studs who are one peg down from MVP level is a great starting point. But four is a minimum, and if you can stumble onto a fifth you will be golden. Also, hang onto your free agent pickup money as much as you can. There are players wo come up from the G-League in March and April who log heavy minutes for bad teams who will be available if you have been frugal with your waiver/free agent money.
Fantasy Basketball Team Names FAQ
Anything that is a play on words and is creative is sufficient, and a catchy name will make others in your league reach out to you with proposed deals more than they otherwise might. Good fantasy team names that match a cool fantasy basketball team roster have sneaky value.
Self-deprecating humor works for some people, but it will cause other owners to regard you lightly and offer you bad trades. Get yourself a thesaurus and use it when you name your team after the best player, or the favorite players, that you drafted.
Author
Chris Sheridan is a veteran NBA writer who has been covering the league since 1992, with a specialty in international basketball after being credentialed for every Olympics since 1996 in Atlanta. He has been covering sports gambling since 2018.
