Some people prefer watching sports they hate rather than watching their favorite team. When your team isn’t a contender and there’s nothing to cheer about, the next logical step is to root for the opposing team. If the opposing team doesn’t do it for you, you can pick a player and go against him. The NBA is probably the best league when it comes to players supporting fans. There are always players who will say the wrong thing on the field or annoy you with their attitude. A lot of people have looked at the players on this list and argued against them, so with that being said, let’s take a look at the ten most hated NBA players of all time.
10. Reggie Miller
The NBA and its entire fan base may not hate Reggie Miller, but considering how Miller has become a villain in one of the league’s largest markets, he deserves to be on the list. The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks faced off in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with New York’s hatred of Miller beginning in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Miller struggled in Game 5 and Knicks fans began to take notice of his situation, with the loudest jeers coming from Spike Lee who was sitting courtside. This hatred soon aroused Miller’s emotions, and he began shooting at a crazy rate. He scored 25 points in the fourth quarter of the game and stared at Lee after every shot. His performance led the Pacers to a 93-86 win, and he walked off the court and gave Lee and other Knicks fans in attendance his now-famous choke gesture.
The following season, the Pacers trailed the Knicks by six points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Miller hit a three-pointer, stole a pass inside, hit another three-pointer to tie the game, and finally hit two game-winning free throws. Indiana ended up beating New York in seven games, making Knicks fans hate Miller even more than they already did. How big is the story of Knicks fans hating Reggie Miller? The “Seinfeld” cast incorporated the storyline into one of their episodes. When a player’s hatred is mentioned on one of the greatest television shows of the era, he deserves a spot on the list of most hated players.
9. James Harden
Many people enjoy watching James Harden play as an outsider. In his prime, Harden put up incredible numbers while with the Houston Rockets and wowed fans. From there, his playing style began to slow down and fans were no longer excited about his slow, clunky movements. He’s also known for falling down and trying to draw fouls, which doesn’t serve him well in big games. When the rest of the league began to hate Harden, Harden at least retained the favor of the team’s fans, but in recent years, he has even lost the popular vote.
Harden has tried to force his way out of the team with some bizarre behavior, including going to strip clubs during bad times and deliberately gaining weight to force the Rockets to trade him. He’s trying to get away from the Philadelphia 76ers now, and when Philly fans turn on you, you can never go back.
8. Chris Paul
Chris Paul, one of the biggest losers of the modern era, doesn’t like the behavior of opposing fans. It’s not so much the frequency with which he fails, but the drama with which he delays when he fails. Flopping is now a big part of the NBA, so you can’t blame players who do it in the NBA now. The thing is, Paul may be one of the dominant forces in the league why this phenomenon is so prevalent. Paul is also one of the dirtiest players when it comes to fouling, as he’s not afraid to step in and take a piece of the opponent’s game, sometimes even doing so in an unsportsmanlike manner. Paul has been known to throw arm hooks, forearm shots, and even hit other players below the belt. He complains a lot about what happens on the pitch, but he should be more self-aware about his actions.
To make matters worse, Paul joined the Golden State Warriors this offseason and will now team up with another annoying player in Draymond Green to wreak havoc. Paul’s demeanor has also raised some eyebrows among NBA fans, as he has a self-righteous air about him that people celebrate when talking about some players in the league. However, these players are all players who have won multiple championships or accumulated many individual honors. While Paul has taken away some accolades of his own, he has yet to win a championship, which leads to him behaving in a way that offends many fans.
7. Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Sprewell fell out of favor with NBA fans after turning down a three-year, $21 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves by saying the infamous “I have a family to support.” But the talented veteran has lost the support of many fans. His behavior during his time with the Warriors. Head coach PJ Carlesimo told Sprewell to pass the ball more crisply, but Sprewell got so close that he threatened to kill him and began strangling him, continuing for more than 10 seconds. As expected, the Warriors fired Sprewell shortly after the incident. The family support offer was the final straw for the NBA, and Sprewell has not played in the league since.
6. Bruce Bowen
Bruce Bowen won multiple awards during his career, and his outstanding defensive performance helped him win three NBA championships. However, some consider Bowen to be the dirtiest player of all time, which is what he is most famous for. Bowen tends to put his feet under his jumpers so they land on flat ground and roll their ankles. His other infamous moves include kicking Chris Paul in the chest (which some may be happy about), kicking Ray Allen in the back, kicking Wally Skobiak in the face, and kneeling Steve ·Nash’s groin. There’s not much to say about Bowen. He was simply filthy.
Isiah Thomas has received more hate in his post-retirement career, but he hasn’t always been a nice guy in the league. Thomas was the most famous player on a Bad Boy Pistons team that was absolutely despised by opposing fans. Thomas acted extremely hard and arrogant during the game, which included bullying teammates and other players. Thomas was surprisingly left off the 1992 Dream Team, but reports suggested it was because of Michael Jordan’s hatred of him, with Jordan telling head coach Chuck Daly that if Thomas played on the Dream Team, he He won’t participate in the Olympics. Jordan’s Dream Team teammates supported his decision, which resulted in Magic Johnson being drafted instead of Thomas. NBA fans may hate Thomas, but his peers don’t seem to like him that much either.
Thomas also drew the ire of Knicks fans during his time in the Knicks front office. Thomas hasn’t been as good in that role as he was as a player, with his most infamous move involving Joakim Noah, LaMarcus Aldridge, Omar Asik and Thabo · Cefalosa was traded for Eddie Curry. Knicks fans hated him so much that they would boo his unrelated namesake Isaiah Thomas.
We put Miller on this list because one of the NBA’s largest markets hates him, but Miller only has one state that hates him. How about making the whole country hate you? This is what happened to Vince Carter. Carter was beloved in Canada in 1998 when he won Rookie of the Year and the Slam Dunk Contest as a member of the Toronto Raptors. Carter led the Raptors to multiple playoff appearances and became the savior of basketball in Canada. However, Toronto never reached title contention status, and Carter began to take a negative stance toward the team. He failed to live up to his potential and developed a poor relationship with head coach Sam Mitchell, all of which ultimately led to Carter requesting a trade and being sent to the New Jersey Nets. This is the worst-case scenario for Raptors fans, as Carter meets a division rival and torments them every time they face off.
Carter has made it a personal goal to inflict pain on his former team, scoring game-winners in back-to-back home games in Toronto in his first return to Canada. In the history of the NBA, in the eyes of fans, no player can go from hero to zero faster.
3. Bill Laimbeer
Bill Laimbeer was another member of the Bad Boy Pistons, who were known for their hard-nosed and bullying style of play. An elite rebounder and defender, Laimbeer spent 14 years with the Pistons and is often remembered for his playoff runs against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. His hard fouls cost Bulls players a lot of punishment and were the main reason why Chicago couldn’t surpass the Pistons in the playoffs. Laimbeer’s impact was so great that he forced Jordan and Scottie Pippen to bulk up in the offseason in preparation for another grueling playoff run. Laimbeer’s punishing style of play stands in stark contrast to the tendency of many other players to fail every physical encounter against him. While Paul made it into the modern mainstream, Laimbeer may have been the first great loser.
Laimbeer’s hatred was amplified by everyone’s love for the Bulls. Everyone wanted to see Jordan succeed, but for a few years, Laimbeer killed that dream.
Have you ever wondered why the comments section of every one of Kevin Durant’s social media posts is filled with snake emojis? NBA fans’ hatred of Durant began when Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors as a free agent, when the Warriors were already a dominant team that had achieved huge success. success. In the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the Warriors met the Thunder and eventually lost to Durant and Russell Westbrook 1-3. However, Durant did not perform well and had a chance to advance to the finals. In the end, the Thunder lost lost the lead and were eliminated from the playoffs. . Everyone expected Durant to re-sign with Oklahoma City this offseason and continue his quest to knock the Warriors off the top of the Western Conference. Instead, he signed with the Warriors, exited with ease and assembled the biggest superteam of the decade.
The Warriors then had one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, and fans would never forgive Durant for joining his archrival. He has since joined other superteams like the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns, cementing his legacy as a ring chaser who doesn’t want to try to lead a team on his own.
How did a GOAT candidate become the most hated NBA player? LeBron James may be an easy guy to hate, but despite his quirks, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy. Jordan’s approval ratings are much higher, but would people also find reasons to hate him if he played in the age of social media? Much of the hate against LeBron involves people on social media attacking the superstar, but let’s not pretend there isn’t any reason to hate James.
We start with James, who called himself “The King” out of high school, and was already having a hard time living up to the nickname. Although James has a strong body, he complained too much after entering the league and fell easily. LeBron eventually left the Cleveland Cavaliers and had his decision to form a superteam with the Miami Heat nationally televised. Before the start of the season, James declared that he wanted to win “one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven…” championships, but when he entered the end of his career A few years ago, LeBron’s record in the Finals was just 4-6, and he only won two of those championships with the Heat, far below his projections. On second thought, maybe LeBron’s hatred isn’t all the result of negative social media chatter, but rather deserved.