| 100% | WILT | 4 | ___ the Stilt (basketball legend's rhyming nickname) |
| 61% | CHRISPAUL | 9 | Basketball legend nicknamed the "Point God" |
| 53% | EARL | 4 | Basketball legend Monroe who was nicknamed "the Pearl" |
| 46% | OPALS | 5 | Gemological nickname for the Australian women’s national basketball team |
| 46% | THEPELVIS | 9 | Elvis __, rhyming nickname for the King |
| 45% | JOHNSTOCKTON | 12 | Retired basketball legend who is the NBA's #1 career assists leader (15,806) (2 wds.) |
| 44% | SID | 3 | ___ the Kid, rhyming N.H.L. nickname |
| 44% | STILT | 5 | Wilt the ___ (Chamberlain's rhyming nickname) |
| 43% | WEST | 4 | Basketball legend Jerry whose silhouette is part of the NBA logo |
| 43% | MAVS | 4 | Nickname for the basketball team from Dallas |
| 43% | DRJ | 3 | Nickname of basketball legend Erving |
| 42% | PELVIS | 6 | "Elvis the ___" (rock star's rhyming nickname) |
| 41% | BIGO | 4 | Nickname for the Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson |
| 41% | SWAT | 4 | The Sultan of ___, nickname for baseball legend Babe Ruth |
| 41% | LEE | 3 | Jeanette ___, billiards legend nicknamed the Black Widow |
| 41% | STILT | 5 | Basketball legend Wilt "The ___" Chamberlain |
| 41% | POINTGOD | 8 | Nickname for an élite player at the one, in basketball |
| 40% | PHISLAMAJAMA | 12 | Nickname of the early 1980s Houston Cougars of college basketball, also known as "Texas's Tallest Fraternity" (3 wds.) |
| 40% | ONEAL | 5 | Last name of the basketball star nicknamed "Shaq" |
| 40% | ALI | 3 | Muhammad ___, boxing legend who earned the nickname "The Greatest" |
| 39% | AIR | 3 | Ben Affleck basketball film with the tagline "Courting a Legend" |
| 39% | YETI | 4 | Himalayan legend whose name was rejected as the new nickname for Utah's NHL team due to trademark concerns |
| 38% | NESSIE | 6 | Loch legend's nickname |
| 38% | DRJ | 3 | Nickname of the 76ers legend with a cameo in "Hustle": 2 wds., abbr. |
| 38% | CYCLONES | 8 | Nickname of the Iowa State University men's basketball team who defeated Houston in the 2023-'24 Big 12 Conference championship game |
| 38% | BARD | 4 | The ___, Shakespeare's nickname |
| 38% | PAR | 3 | "LeBron James is at ___ with most of the legends of basketball" |
| 38% | REDEEM | 6 | " ___ Team," nickname for US men's basketball team led by Dwyane Wade that won gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics |
| 37% | LIP | 3 | The Louisville ___ (40-Across winner's nickname) |
| 37% | UNIT | 4 | The Big ___ (pitcher Randy Johnson's nickname) |