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Looking for the greatest list of basketball dog names? Look no further! Seeking inspiration from basketball players to coaches to the teams themselves, there is a name idea for any new dog.
Naming your new dog can be really overwhelming! You want to be sure to pick a name that you like but also a name that fits your dog’s personality. A great place to start is with something you love, like BASKETBALL! You might be surprised by just how many cute basketball dog names are on this list so even if you don’t follow the sport closely you may fall for one of these names. And don’t worry – many of these names are gender neutral so you’ll find plenty of inspiration for male and female names.
To help you with the process of naming your new dog this post is sorted by the following categories:
| Basketball Teams | Basketball Terms |
| Basketball Players | Basketball Mascots |
| Basketball Coaches | Best Basketball Dog Names |
At the very end of this post you’ll find some additional tips on how to pick a dog name because it’s a very big decision!
This post is all about the best basketball dog names for your athletic puppy!
BASKETBALL DOG NAMES:
Basketball Teams
A great place to seek inspiration is with your favorite NBA team! Here are some names to get you started.
| Name | Team Inspiration |
|---|---|
| Blazer | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Buck | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Bull | Chicago Bulls |
| Cavalier | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Celtic | Boston Celtics |
| Clipper | LA Clippers |
| Grizz | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Hawk | Atlanta Hawks |
| Hornet | Charlotte Hornets |
| Jazz | Utah Jazz |
| King | Sacramento Kings |
| Knick | New York Knicks |
| Laker | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Magic | Orlando Magic |
| Maverick | Dallas Mavericks |
| Net | Brooklyn Nets |
| Nugget | Denver Nuggets |
| Pacer | Indiana Pacers |
| Piston | Detroit Pistons |
| Raptor | Toronto Raptors |
| Rocket | Houston Rockets |
| Sixer | Philadelphia 76ers |
| Spur | San Antonio Spurs |
| Timber | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Warrior | Golden State Warriors |
| Wizard | Washington Wizards |
Basketball Terms
If you’ve ever been on a basketball court before then you’ve likely heard some interesting lingo. Some of which makes for some really cute names!
| Name | Term Inspiration |
|---|---|
| Airball | a shot that isn’t even close to the rim |
| Alley-oop | pass into a dunk |
| Bank | shot that goes in after hitting the backboard |
| Basket | where the scoring happens |
| Bubble | on the cusp of making a postseason tournament |
| Buzzer | mark of the end of the period |
| Charge | offensive foul |
| Chucker | player who takes too many shots |
| Dagger | critical made shot |
| Dribble | how to move the ball down the court |
| Dunk | putting the ball directly into the basket |
| Floater | high arc shot |
| Flop | when a player exaggerates their fall |
| Foul | rule violation |
| Grinnell | type of combined offense and defense system |
| Guard | a position |
| Hook | type of shot that involves hand swining over head |
| Hoop | term for the basket |
| Lane | free-throw lane |
| Layup | shot that is banked off the backboard at close-range |
| Ledgie | ball stuck at the back of the rim |
| Nellie | unconventional offense strategy |
| Pack | hitting down a shot in a rough way |
| Pivot | to avoid traveling |
| Rebound | getting the ball after a missed shot |
| Rim | part of the basketball goal |
| Splash | similar to a swish |
| Swish | nothing but net |
| Switch | a style of defense |
Basketball Players
No basketball dog name list would be complete without some of the greatest players to ever step on the court. You know this list is good when the first name is “Bark”ley 🙂
| Name | Player Inspiration |
|---|---|
| Barkley | Charles Barkley |
| Bird | Larry Bird |
| Curry | Steph Curry |
| D-Wade | Dwyane Wade |
| Dirk | Dirk Nowitzki |
| Duncan | Tim Duncan |
| Elgin | Elgin Baylor |
| Garnett | Kevin Garnett |
| Giannis | Giannis Antetokounmpo |
| Iver | Allen Iverson |
| Jabbar | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Jordan | Michael Jordan |
| Kawhi | Kawhi Leonard |
| Kobe | Kobe Bryant |
| LeBron | LeBron James |
| Magic | Magic Johnson |
| Malone | Karl Malone |
| Pippen | Scottie Pippen |
| Russell | Bill Russell |
| Shaq | Shaquille O’Neal |
| Stockton | John Stockton |
| Wilt | Wilt Chamberlain |
Basketball Mascots
Part of the fun of basketball is the energy and these mascots certainly help bring it! Name your new puppy after your favorite mascot.
| Name | Mascot Inspired |
|---|---|
| Bango | the Buck for Milwaukee Bucks |
| Benny | the Bull for the Chicago Bulls |
| Blaze | the Trail Cat for the Portalnd Trail Blazers |
| Boomer | for the Indiana Pacers |
| Burnie | for the Miami Heat |
| Champ | for the Dallas Mavericks |
| Chuck | the Condor for the Los Angeles Clippers |
| Clutch | the Bear for the Houston Rockets |
| Crunch | the Wolf for the Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Franklin | for the Philadelphia 76ers |
| G-Wiz | for the Washington Wizards |
| Harry | he Hawk for the Atlanta Hawks |
| Hooper | for the Detroit Pistons |
| Hugo | the Hornet for the Charlotte Hornets |
| Lucky | the Leprechaun for the Boston Celtics |
| Pierre | the Pelican for the New Orleans Pelicans |
| Rocky | the Mountain Lion for the Denver Nuggets |
| Rumble | the Bison for the Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Slamson | the Lion for the Sacramento Kings |
Basketball Coaches
Behind every good team is a great coach. These coaches also happen to have names that would be perfect to name your dog after!
| Name | Coach Inspiration |
|---|---|
| Bud | Mike Budenholzer |
| Daly | Chuck Daly |
| Doc | Doc Rivers |
| Jackson | Phil Jackson |
| Kerr | Steve Kerr |
| Kundla | John Kundla |
| Lenny | Lenny Wilkens |
| Motta | Dick Motta |
| Popovich | Gregg Popovich |
| Red | Red Auerbach |
| Riley | Pat Riley |
| Sloan | Jerry Sloan |
Best Basketball Dog Names
The best basketball dog name is whatever name you choose but I couldn’t help but pick some favorites. Here are A Gal + A Dog’s picks!
| Barkley | Ledgie |
| G-Wiz | Magic |
| Grizz | Pippen |
| Iver | Rocky |
| Jazz | Rumble |
| Knick | Sixer |
| Kobe | Sloan |
| Laker | Swish |
Tips for Naming
Maybe you’re thinking wow this list is great, but I still don’t can’t decide on a name for my dog… that’s fair and why you’ll want to check out these tips.
- Keep It short-(ish): One or two syllables names will most likely be your best bet. Don’t worry, most of the names on this list are on the short end. If you like a name that is long, consider a nickname. A nickname will allow for you to quickly and easily call your dog.
- Test it: Take some time to see what names fit your dogs look and personality. Start by saying the name aloud to see if it’s easy for your to say. If it is, then try it with your dog to determine if it’s a fit.
- Pick a name you like: Be sure you love the name you select because you’ll be saying it ALOT! Even if this means taking a few extra days.. it’ll be worth it.
Hopefully you found a name… or a few! Be sure to let me know if you found inspiration from this list. If you have any great basketball dog names to add to the list, I’d love to hear them!
