Shaquille O’Neal
The former NBA star, who has also made a name for himself in the world of entertainment via movies and music, recently released a “diss track,” targeting Damian Lillard.
But that wasn’t as heated for him, and he told Rolling Stone in 2019 that the beef between he and Lillard was “just for fun.” Aside from fighting with fellow players, he also got into it with staff and executives, throwing fits when things didn’t go his way. Or, he just decided to sit out for a number of games until being traded.
Kobe Bryant
In a shock and horrible loss to the basketball world and those who knew him, Kobe Bryant died as the result of a helicopter accident. The vehicle was carrying him, along with seven other people, to a youth basketball tournament when it crashed into a hillside killing everyone on board. Bryant was no doubt one of the best – if not the best – basketball players in NBA history.
However, working with him was no easy feat, according to former teammates and others who encountered him throughout his career. There was of course the entire debacle with Smush Parker, but that wasn’t nearly all. Who could forget the infamous (and lasting) feud with Shaquille O’Neal?
Kwame Brown
Ah, Kwame Brown. He’s had his fair share of negative press, which makes it seem like he’s not the greatest of people. And, if you’ve watched many of his games, you know that he’s not really the best of players, either. Brown has been arrested, investigated, and charged with (and for) multiple shady crimes, including sexual assault and bank fraud.
Rick Barry
Rick Barry’s name pops up on more than one list of “worst of” or “biggest instigators” in NBA history. And, that probably has a lot to do with the fact that he’s made a number of ignorant, racist comments in his past.
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is one of those names that, even if you never watched one of his games, you just know. He’s hands-down one of the best players in the league’s history and the winner of an MVP award. But he’s also had his moments, quite a few of them, actually.
In 1996, he got into a brawl with Dennis Rodman on the court at a game his team played against the Chicago Bulls. The moment got caught on video and is now immortalized, thanks to the internet. He also failed to show up for practices and often dropped the ball, so to speak, when he claimed to have slept through a sponsorship night due to some meds he was on.