Today, we live in the JaleNBA, where one name—Jalen, Jaylen, Jaylon, or Jaylin—is the most common first name in the league. The era of Robert, once basketball’s dynastic moniker, has given way to an invasion of Jalens, an ascent so rapid and overwhelming it has left every Jim, Bob, and Jordan in its wake. Here, I map the trajectories of these names—who ruled when, how they’ve shaped the league, and what they tell us about the past, present, and future of the game.
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Look below for lots of name-related charts.
Below we see name popularity trends throughout NBA History. In the early days, Bobs ruled the Earth. The Robert family of names was only surpassed by Michaels and Johns in the 80s and 90s, Christophers in 2000's and now Jalens in the 2020s.
Robert and it's related variations (Rob, Bob, Bobby, etc) are the most popular name in NBA history. The Boston Celtics of names, they have the most trophies.
It wasn't even close in the 50s. I love that "Red" was a top 20 name in those days.
These days, Jalens are on top. Not too many NBA names that were popular in the 1950s and the 2020s: Michael, John, Joe, and Robert are the only names on both lists.
Michael had the quickest decade increase, going from 3 in the 60s to 24 in the 70s. Jalen is on a similar rise, but we're only halfway through the decade.
These are the tallest names in NBA history.
These are the shortest names in NBA history. Yes, "Whitey" is the shortest name in the history of the NBA.
On average, Jasons play the longest.
Dexters have the shortest careers.
Centers and Forwards are named Robert. Guards are named John.
Roberts are mostly Forwards and Guards.
Jalens are Guards.
In today's NBA there are more Guards than ever. Centers are an endangered species, as you might guess.