The NBA is and, really, always has been a star-driven league. This is a by-product of it being a five-on-five sport, of course, because each individual player has a disproportionate opportunity to impact the game compared to other major sports.
As a result, there have been some extremely, shall we say, eccentric players to have balled on the NBA hardwood.
Let’s check out 10 of the craziest we’ve ever seen.
Vernon Maxwell
Only a crazy person would confidently think that they can guard Michael Jordan, so I suppose that Vernon Maxwell’s fiery persona should have been somewhat expected.
To his credit, he actually was one of the more consistent MJ defenders, but of course, that is relative—and with it—came his nickname “Mad Max,” which became more and more deserved over time. He allegedly pulled out a piece on someone who cut him off in traffic, cursed out his team’s fans, and even went into the stands in ’95 and punched a fan.
Safe to say that Vernon Maxwell was a bit of character to say the least.
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Gilbert Arenas
Agent Zero was a man ahead of his time with the way he could and would shoot the basketball from anywhere on the court. But with that inventive spirit came a craziness that would eventually catch up with him in the form of the Javaris Crittenton locker room gun scandal.
There is a reason they call him No Chill Gil.
Metta Sandiford-Artest
There are few crazier individuals to ever touch the NBA floor than the man formerly known as Ron Artest. He was the catalyst for the Malice and the Palace and is just an all-around lunatic through and through. I mean, we are talking about a guy who has gone through several legal name changes—along with legal issues—during his time in the public spotlight.
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman could have an entire book written about his crazy antics. In fact, he has. There have been books written, movies made—any form of media, you name it, it has been made documenting the trials and tribulations of Dennis Rodman.
One particularly entertaining Sparknote of the saga is his now legendary 48-hour trip to Las Vegas during the ’98 NBA finals.
Rasheed Wallace
As a key member of the infamous Portland “Jailblazers” Rasheed Wallace set the tone for the team both on and off the court.
He was a ferocious player, who could shoot exceptionally well for his size and the era he played in and a top-tier defender. He also had the temper of a lion. The guy got 41 technical fouls in a single season once!
Any time Wallace opened his mouth to speak publicly, you never knew what was going to come out. He was as wild as they came.
Nick Young
When someone publicly rebrands themselves as “Swaggy P” as a “biblical reference” to the “Prophet of Swag,” that is usually a strong indicator that they skew toward crazy.
His particular brand of lunacy is more tabloid-driven than anything, as Nick Young has never been one to bow out of the spotlight. Hence his short-lived engagement with Australian rapper, Izzy Azalea.
Safe to say that Young never struggled to find a way to keep himself busy off the court, which, somehow seemed to work in his favor because every time he’d make a boneheaded play on the court, people would almost just sort of expect it.
Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Sprewell is perhaps best known these days for choking out his coach during his stint with the Golden State Warriors, P.J. Carlesimo during the middle of practice. Allegedly, the entire incident all stemmed from Carlesimo telling Sprewell to “put a little mustard” on his passes. The audacity, I know.
Sprewell also infamously got into a fight with his teammate Jerome Kersey and returned to the team facility with a two-by-four ready for battle.
Keep in mind, this was all pre-social media. Imagine what kind of stories took place that didn’t get out to the public.
Kyrie Irving
At this point in his career, Kyrie Irving’s ‘controversies’ tab on Wikipedia is longer than his list of accolades and accomplishments. Whether it was his flat earth phase or his star-crossed relationships with a number of teammates and coaches—Irving has always managed to keep the public guessing with his crazy antics.
Stephen Jackson
They just don’t make ‘em like Stephen Jackson anymore. By all accounts, a great guy, just rough around the edges and with a temper like you wouldn’t believe. Well, I suppose you might believe it if you watched the event that played out in Detroit during the Malice in the Palace.
It never seemed to matter where the controversy was taking place, on the court, off the court—even on the internet Jackson has never been one to back down from a fight. He’s just one of those guys that is wired differently.
