Each NBA Team's Biggest Showboat

As a whole, the NBA is filled with glamorous plays, above-the-rim players, high-flying dunks and showboating. 

The players who populate the league are the best in the world. They know it and love to strut their stuff. Some players just happen to do a bit more showboating than others.

As a quick caveat, though, that's not always a bad thing. Although taking the showboating to an extreme is problematic, sometimes it's necessary to do a little showing off. 

Read on to find out who takes each NBA team's title as the biggest showboat. 

Atlanta Hawks, Josh Smith

Position: Power forward

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 18.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 blocks, 1.5 steals

Josh Smith is incredibly talented and has played out of his mind this season, especially since the injury to Al Horford. He and Joe Johnson have truly stepped up their games during the prolonged absence of the power forward. 

But if there's a player on the Atlanta Hawks who is going to try to swat the ball out of bounds on a block or throw in the extra windmill on the breakaway slam dunk, it's Smoove. 

Plus, there's that whole shooting with the left hand thing. He just thinks he's too good to use his right hand since the vast majority of the players in the NBA shoot with that one. 

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo

Position: Point guard

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 12.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 11.0 assists, 0.0 blocks, 1.7 steals

Rajon Rondo loves to make passes, and the flashier they are, the better they are in his mind. 

The talented point guard enjoys dazzling the crowds at the Boston Garden with ball-fakes behind his back, with true behind-the-back passes during fast breaks, and so on and so forth. 

Additionally, he likes wearing sunglasses indoors, which is obviously just a cry for attention and not a medical thing to protect his damaged eyes. 

Charlotte Bobcats, Boris Diaw

Yes, Boris Diaw and the Charlotte Bobcats agreed to a contract buyout and the NBA veteran is no longer on this team. But I still wanted to make my joke about him, so I'm running with it. 

Remember, the title of this slideshow was "Each NBA Team's Biggest Showboat." For the other 29 teams, I'm focusing on the "showboat" part of that title, but here I'm focusing on "biggest." 

The overweight, out of shape Diaw definitely qualifies for that part. 

Chicago Bulls, None

The Chicago Bulls are one of the rare teams that manages to suppress showboating instincts. 

Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson and some of the other players may manage to make some jaw-dropping plays, but those all occur within the flow of the game. 

As a result, the Bulls are just one of two teams that will not have a representative in this article. 

Cleveland Cavaliers, Alonzo Gee

Position: Small forward

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.5 steals

Alonzo Gee has to be the least-known NBA player who constantly shows up on top play countdowns. It seems like the young small forward throws down a thunderous dunk or posterizes someone at least once a game. 

So, you may ask, why is that considered showboating? 

Gee plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Unless your name is Kyrie Irving, doing anything above average has to be considered showing off. 

Dallas Mavericks, Vince Carter

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 35

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 9.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.9 steals

This, my friends, is what we call a legacy pick. And Vince Carter's legacy of showboating trumps even Jason Terry's. 

Denver Nuggets, JaVale McGee

Position: Center

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 11.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 2.4 blocks, 0.6 steals

This video contains all the proof you need. Let me break it down:

Play No. 8: JaVale McGee swats the ball into the 300th row of the stands despite the fact that it was clearly on a downward trajectory and a blatant goaltending call. 

Play No. 7: This play doesn't exist because the maker of the video doesn't know how to count backwards from eight. As a result, I'm leaning towards believing that McGee himself made this video in an attempt to be self-promoting. 

Play No. 6: McGee throws himself the famous alley-oop off the glass even though his team was down six points. When it comes to showboating, this one takes the cake and is pretty much the reason that his picture appeared on the cover slide. 

Play No. 6 again: The second entry labeled No. 6 (once again leading me to believe that Pierre made the video), this one was more of a bad pass than McGee failing to post up a guard. 

Play No. 5: Despite already stepping on the baseline, McGee tries to throw the ball back inbounds, but throws it right into the hands of the other team.

Play No. 4: You do not try to dunk from the free-throw line in a game. Especially when your team is down 25 points in the closing seconds of that game.

Play No. 3: You do not try to dunk from the free-throw line in a game. Especially when the game is still in the first quarter. Especially when there is a defender in between you and the basket.

Play No. 2: As the maker of the video, KingKoltAir (A.K.A. McGee himself) says, "Just watch."

Play No. 1: After missing shot after shot in an attempt to get a triple-double, McGee scores on an open dunk and does a pull-up on the rim, resulting in a technical foul. While his team was down 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Need I say more? 

Detroit Pistons, Ben Gordon

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 28

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 12.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.8 steals

We all know that Ben Gordon loves to pull the trigger whenever and wherever he can. 

Golden State Warriors, Nate Robinson

Position: Point guard

Age: 27

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 10.2 points, 2.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.0 blocks, 1.2 steals

This is one of those cases where being a showboat is actually a good thing. For this diminutive floor general, his energy leads to his effectiveness and perceived showboating. 

Nate Robinson won three Slam Dunk Contests in his prime, and you can't achieve that feat without being good at showing off. 

Houston Rockets, Kevin Martin

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 29

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 17.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.7 steals

This is another case where being featured on this slide isn't necessarily a knock on the player. 

Kevin Martin is a high-scoring guard with a tendency to shoot a lot and score in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, fancy drives to the rim that result in tough layups. 

He may not be showboating per se, but the ease of his offensive game sometimes makes it appear as though he is. 

Indiana Pacers, Danny Granger

Position: Small forward

Age: 28

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 18.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 blocks, 1.1 steals

It was quite difficult to pick a player from the Indiana Pacers. 

After all, the team is comprised of a bunch of good, young players who enjoy working together, getting their hands dirty and playing good, hard, tough defense. 

Since I have to choose one, though, I need to go with Danny Granger and his penchant for both the big slam dunks and the unnecessary shots (see 14.9 attempts per game with 40.9 percent shooting from the field). 

Los Angeles Clippers, Blake Griffin

Position: Power forward

Age: 23

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 20.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 blocks, 0.8 steals

Blake Griffin's goal in life is to dunk early, dunk often, dunk on people's heads, dunk with the intent of creating posters, dunk to demoralize the opponents and dunk late. Seriously, it's all about the throw-downs. 

But this season, Griffin has dealt with what may be entitlement issues. After every single slam, he stares into space with an intent "Yeah, I'm good" look on his face. It was cool at first. Now it's old. 

Plus, the constant griping about each and every call has gotten tiresome as well. 

Griffin is the center of attention and he knows it. As a result, he milks the spotlight for everything he can possibly get. 

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 33

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 28.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.3 steals

Kobe Bryant is one of the biggest showboats in NBA history because of his constant unquenchable thirst for attention from the media. 

He thrives off negative statements and pressure to up his game. He never shies away from the big moments or the big games.

Essentially it all boils down to Kobe's need to show off. That necessity has made him one hell of an NBA legend.  

Memphis Grizzlies, Rudy Gay

Position: Small forward

Age: 25

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 18.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 blocks, 1.5 steals

Rudy Gay is a fantastic basketball player who normally remains calm and controlled at all times. 

But every once in a while, Gay sees an open lane to the basket, his eyes get big and he can't help but uncork the windmill slam when a normal dunk would have been perfectly sufficient. 

Miami Heat, LeBron James

Position: Small forward

Age: 27

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 26.5 points, 8.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 0.8 blocks, 1.9 steals

LeBron James is never going to escape the showboat label, even after he wins a title (notice that was an "after" and not an "if"). 

He took too many mock pictures of teammates before games, made too many Decisions, claimed he was going to win too many titles and threw too much chalk up into the air. 

James loves the game of basketball, but he plays it more to have fun than to do anything else, or so it seems. 

Milwaukee Bucks, Brandon Jennings

Position: Point guard

Age: 22

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 18.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.6 steals

If you've watched a Milwaukee Bucks game during the last two seasons, chances are you've seen Brandon Jennings jacking up an ill-advised jump shot and then attempting some sort of crazy jumping/spinning/falling/whatevering shot. He loves to look good and will try anything to do so. 

Plus, there's that whole left-handed thing again...

Minnesota Timberwolves, Ricky Rubio

Position: Point guard

Age: 21

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 0.2 blocks, 2.2 steals

Ricky Rubio drew comparisons to Pete Maravich during his shortened rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Invoking the legend of Pistol Pete himself means that you've arrived in the flair department. 

Rubio showed off his passing skills—but only because they worked. 

Then when the time came for him to get injured, he did that in style as well. There wasn't a day-to-day injury, but instead a season-ending one. 

New Jersey Nets, Kris Humphries

Position: Power forward

Age: 27

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 13.4 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, 0.8 steals

You don't marry Kim Kardashian without some desire to see your name in the spotlight. 

New Orleans Hornets, Trevor Ariza

Position: Small forward

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 11.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 0.6 blocks, 1.7 steals

Just listing Trevor Ariza's name will have to suffice here. I don't like writing about the New Orleans Hornets right now, because it's just a bit too depressing. 

New York Knicks, J.R. Smith

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 10.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.2 blocks, 1.3 steals

J.R. Smith has always been a boom-or-bust scorer because of his tendency to keep firing away no matter what. 

Lately, though, thanks to highlights, of course, it's seemed as though Smith has made more no-look alley-oop dunks than any other type of shot. 

Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook

Position: Point guard

Age: 23

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 24.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.3 blocks, 1.7 assists

Showboating is the engine that makes the machine known as Russell Westbrook work. 

The explosive point guard's game is completely dependent on convincing the world, and himself, that he's the most talented basketball player on the court.

If that needs to come in the form or dunks so hard that he should break his wrists, so be it. If he needs to go reverse style, so be it. 

It's what makes him one of the best and most entertaining point guards in the NBA. 

Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard

Position: Center

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 20.9 points, 14.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 2.1 blocks, 1.5 steals

Remember all that drama about where Dwight Howard would end up playing? Remember how much Howard himself fed the media frenzy?

Yeah, I think he likes being the center of attention. 

Philadelphia 76ers, Andre Iguodala

Position: Small forward

Age: 28

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 12.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.4 blocks, 1.7 steals

Andre Iguodala is known for his all-around play and versatility. That's absolutely what makes him a great player on both offense and defense, but it's not what stands out the most here. 

Thanks to his ridiculous athleticism, Iggy knows he can play above the rim—and clearly loves to do so. 

Phoenix Suns, Shannon Brown

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 26

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 9.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.6 steals

Speaking of playing above the rim...

Portland Trail Blazers, Jamal Crawford

Position: Point guard and shooting guard

Age: 32

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 13.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.8 steals

When I started to think about the fancy, showboating players of the NBA, Jamal Crawford was one of the first players to pop into my mind. 

After all, this is the guard who depends on his ridiculous dribbling skills to break defenders ankles. He doesn't play a traditional style of offense at all, instead over-dribbling and taking shot after shot. 

When you made a play like the shake-and-bake famous, you belong here. 

Sacramento Kings, DeMarcus Cousins

Position: Power forward

Age: 21

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 17.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 blocks, 1.3 steals

Just ask Paul Westphal. 

San Antonio Spurs, No One

The Chicago Bulls were the first team to be showboat-less, but the San Antonio Spurs are going to join their ranks here. 

Greg Popovich would never allow a guy that was more concerned with individual glory than team success receive too many minutes for his squad. 

Tim Duncan is the epitome of stoic, unselfish play, and the rest of the Spurs usually follow in his lead. 

Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan

Position: Shooting guard

Age: 22

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 16.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.8 steals

It's tough to pick a showboat from the Toronto Raptors because they aren't any good and don't receive a lot of media attention. 

But DeMar DeRozan barely stands out above the rest. The supposed-to-break-out-but-actually-declined third-year shooting guard still plays above the rim and throws down his fair share of highlight dunks. 

Utah Jazz, Jeremy Evans

Position: Small forward

Age: 24

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 1.7 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.6 blocks, 0.1 steals

When you're the reigning Slam Dunk champion, you're guaranteed a spot in this article. 

That event is the very definition of showboating and Jeremy Evans happened to take home the prize. 

Washington Wizards, John Wall

Position: Point guard

Age: 21

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 0.9 blocks, 1.3 steals

When you dougie onto the court before your first game at the NBA level, that helps your case for a featured slot in this slideshow. 

Even though John Wall's game on the court may not be filled with showboating, his undeniable swagger definitely boosts his stock.