Explaining the 15 oddest nicknames in Houston Rockets history

7 of 8

Houston Rockets Corey Brewer (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

5. Corey Brewer – The Drunken Dribbler

Corey Brewer spent three of his 12 total seasons with the Houston Rockets, from 2014-17. He became a reliable man off the bench for Kevin McHale and later for Mike D’Antoni.

While he had a decent college playing career at Florida, his nickname of The Drunken Dribbler originated there for how reckless he could be with the ball.

Florida Head Coach Bill Donovan christened Brewer with the name, which was apparently only one funny nickname he had at Florida:

A nickname to rival Corey Brewer's "Drunken Dribbler" nickname listed on @bball_ref:

Billy Donovan said at UF, Brewer used to get called "Giraffe on Roller Skates."

— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) March 5, 2018

Currently, Basketball-Reference only lists The Drunken Dribbler and Greyhound as his nicknames. If anyone has a contact with the admins of that site, please alert them about Giraffe on Roller Skates ASAP.

Houston Rockets Omer Asik (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images) /

4. Omer Asik – Asik and Destroy

Okay, so this one isn’t so much odd as it is awesome. Born in Turkey, Omer Asik got his NBA start with the Chicago Bulls in 2010 before ending up on the Rockets from 2012-14.

It was during his time with the Bulls that Asik was given both of his nicknames by color commentator Stacey King. The nicknames, The Turkish Hammer and Asik and Destroy are both pretty solid, and Asik appears to approve of the latter.

In a 2014 interview with New Orleans ESPN radio station 1420, he was asked about the name. “I’m fine with it,” responded Omer. “I like it.”

I like it too, Omer.

Cedric Maxwell (Darren McCollester/Getty Images for T-Mobile) /

3. Cedric Maxwell – The Rubberband Man

A Boston Celtic for most of his career, Cedric Maxwell went by many names that included Max, Ced, Cornbread and The Rubberband Man. The nickname Cornbread was given to Maxwell by his college teammate Melvin Watkins after they went to see the 1975 movie “Cornbread, Earl and Me,” in which the title character resembled Maxwell.

What there doesn’t seem to be much information on, though, is why or when he was dubbed The Rubberband Man. There are some sporadic references to the name online, but none explaining anything about its origin.

Maxwell’s career was highlighted by his two NBA championships and an NBA Finals MVP in 1981. The Rubberband Man joined the Rockets for two seasons to finish out his career.

As for the nickname? This one, unfortunately, must also remain a mystery for now.

Next: No. 2 & 1

Home/Rockets News