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.
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.
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.
Stephon Marbury
2008 was a confusing year for the former Knicks player. On one hand, he had dreams of purchasing a $40 million private jet to fly around on his own. On the other hand, he was extremely upset when he was ultimately benched, claiming that he felt unsupported by his team. Instead of taking his $22 million salaries and sitting down quietly, he made some remarks that angered military members.
Latrell Sprewell
Where to start with Latrell Sprewell? Well, how about the fact that, like so many others on this list, he complained about his salary. In December of 1997, he grabbed a coach by the neck for telling him to “put a little mustard on” a pass. After he was asked to leave the practice where it occurred, he returned less than 30 minutes later to instigate another fight, punching the man in the face before leaving again.
The coach, P.J. Carlesimo, had never really gotten along with Sprewell and had benched him before for being late to too many practices. Initially, they were going to terminate his contract altogether, but they decided to issue a one-year suspension instead.