Fans love watching the NBA for several reasons. While some watch it for the highlights and basketball moves, others also enjoy watching the drama that comes with it. On top of boasting the best basketball players in the world, the NBA is no stranger to putting in storylines similar to a battle between good versus evil or a duel between protagonists and antagonists. Although a lot of great players can be seen as heroes, some may also see them as villains. Villains in the NBA are generated from on-court shenanigans to off-court behavior that simply draws the ire of many. For this piece, let’s rank the 10 biggest NBA villains of all time.
10. Ben Simmons
When you play for Philadelphia, there’s a huge chance you’re gonna draw in a lot of hate for not performing to expectations. Simmons fell victim to this, despite three All-Star appearances and winning Rookie of the Year.
Simmons drew the ire of NBA fans for several reasons. On the court, Simmons never really worked on having a jump shot, which would have potentially elevated him into an elite player. Furthermore, Simmons passing up wide-open shots, as he did in the 2021 postseason matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, was not helpful to his cause.
However, Simmons cemented himself as one of the biggest NBA villains after choosing to sit out the 2021-2022 season until he got traded out of Philly.
9. Trae Young
While he’s famous as the guy who was acquired by the Atlanta Hawks over Luka Doncic, Young has made a name for himself. Some players succumb to the crowd’s boos, but Young thrives in it. The Hawks guard proved that boos only fuel his game, especially after sinking a game-winner that silenced the crowd in Madison Square Garden. As we all know, Young and the Hawks also sent the Knicks packing in the 2021 Playoffs.
Striking while the iron is hot, Young proved that he was a true villain to Knicks fans after playing heel in an appearance at WWE Smackdown that was held in Madison Square Garden.
8. Reggie Miller
Before Trae Young, there was Reggie Miller. Miller was often regarded as public enemy number one whenever the Pacers had road games, especially against the Knicks. Miller played the role of heartbreaker on several occasions including Game One of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semis. The Pacers guard scored eight points in eight seconds and pissed off Spike Lee in a career-defining moment.
If anything Miller was surely one of the biggest NBA villains.
7. Metta World Peace
When it comes to antics on the court, Metta World Peace had a lot in his bag. He was one of the key figures that ignited Malice at the Palace, the biggest brawl in NBA history. For the benefit of the doubt, he was still called Ron Artest at that time.
After the name change, however, he still remained the same. Peace continued to smack guys like Jeremy Lin and who can forget that devastating elbow to James Harden.
6. Chris Paul
Despite his elite playmaking, CP3 has yet to win a championship. His postseason woes have been the hot topic among his haters. He failed to lead the Hornets to the chip. Afterwards, Lob City and his Suns failed to get the job done.
CP3 will have to embrace the villain role even more, especially after Kanye West publicly accused the Suns guard of having an affair with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
5. Draymond Green
If you punch your own teammate, that should warrant you a place in this list. Just fresh off winning a championship, Green quickly became the main antagonist to his own team’s title defense after punching Jordan Poole in practice.
But even before this incident, Green was already considered by many as one of the top NBA villains. Green is one of the biggest trash-talkers in the league. Furthermore, he’s no stranger to collecting several technicalities and flagrants.
4. Dennis Rodman
During his time, Dennis Rodman was the resident bad boy in the league. With a bad boy personality, there were numerous occasions when Rodman played antagonist to the league’s executives, particularly NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Furthermore, Rodman also pulled out several on-court and off-court antics that led to several suspensions and fines. These included inking his body with tattoos, fake weddings, and comments about Mormons.
While his antics have made him a villain in the eyes of Commissioner Stern, Rodman was also a menace to his opponents. Combining his pesky defense, hard fouling, and trash-talking, Rodman was getting under the skin of the likes of Karl Malone, Shawn Kemp, and Shaquille O’Neal. He’s also one of the best rebounders ever.
3. Kyrie Irving
While Kyrie Irving has wowed fans on the court with his ball handling, his off-court stances have been controversial at best. From being a flat earther to his COVID-19 vaccine stance and to promoting an antisemitic film, Irving has faced major criticisms which make him one of the biggest villains in the league today.
Irving’s attitudes have caused him major suspensions and fines that aren’t helping his team. Moreover, Nike cutting ties with the NBA champion has to be one of the biggest black eyes in his career.
2. Kevin Durant
Speaking of the Nets, Kevin Durant is almost unstoppable on the court when healthy. Although Durant wasn’t hated during the early stages of his career, that changed when he decided to join the Western Conference rival, the Golden State Warriors. It didn’t help that the Warriors were the very team that sent them packing in the 2016 Western Conference Finals.
From hero, Durant quickly became a villain in the eyes of many NBA critics. While he won three and two NBA championships with the Warriors, fans have yet to acknowledge it as an upgrade to his legacy.
1. LeBron James
There’s never been a player that everyone wants to see fail more than LeBron James. Ever since getting hyped in high school as the next big thing, James has carried all the pressure in the world to succeed in the NBA. From his move to South Beach and to proclaiming that he’s the best player in the world, James has played the villain role for most of his career.
In fact, even after winning four NBA championships with three different teams, James has yet to silence his critics who are still too busy pitting him against Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in terms of championship rings.
.