8 Craziest Tweets of the NBA Season

With the ever-increasing prevalence of social media in today's headlines, more and more celebrities create Twitter accounts every day.

Celebrities on Twitter include NBA athletes like LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Jeremy Lin and Shaquille O'Neal, and these guys have "tweeted" some pretty interesting things over the season...and others have posted equally curious things about them.

Here are eight of the craziest tweets of the 2011-2012 NBA season, courtesy of HoopsHype.com.

Floyd Mayweather Posts Controversial Tweet About Jeremy Lin

Not too long ago in Twitter NBA news is a tweet by professional boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. 

In February, Mayweather posted the following for his fans:

"Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."

The post came about following the "Linsanity" craze in New York, and Mayweather's controversial statement went viral.

At the point of the controversy, Lin was taking the Knicks world by storm, becoming the "first player in league history to have at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four career starts."

Although Mayweather's agents declined to answer the questions of ESPN reps, Mayweather himself decided to respond—once again, via Twitter:

"Its OK for ESPN to give their opinion but I say something and everyone questions Floyd Mayweather," he tweeted. "I'm speaking my mind on behalf of other NBA players. They are programmed to be politically correct and will be penalized if they speak up."

Most would agree that Mayweather made a gutsy play that proved disrespectful and uncalled for. ESPN New York's Michael Woods called the boxer out publicly:

"Floyd Mayweather Jr. said something outrageous about Jeremy Lin that got the media's attention. He used to earn that sort of notoriety with his fists."

Fan Accepts Shaq's Challenge Via Twitter

Talk about a crazy Tweet.

In late December, former NBA center Shaquille O'Neal offered to give $1,000 to anyone daring enough to get a tattoo of Charles Barkley kissing Dick Bavetta.

The challenge made reference to the 2007 All-Star foot race between O'Neal and Bavetta, after which the two exchanged a quick kiss.

I'm sure most people laughed at O'Neal's off-kilter dare, but one fan accepted, even posting the evidence on Twitter for all to see. Emmet Bentley, a bartender in Santa Barbara, said the following after his social media moment of fame:

"I have a couple of ridiculous tattoos already, and this seemed pretty harmless."

LeBron James Tweets About Griffin's Dunk over Perkins

Following the epic Blake Griffin dunk over Kendrick Perkins—a video that went viral in a matter of hours—LeBron James posted the following tweet:

"Dunk of the Year!! @blakegriffin just dunked on Kendrick Perkins so hard!! Wow!! I guess I'm #2 now. Move over #6"

It was a bold move by an already [some would say] controversial player like LeBron, but he went ahead and delivered the major props to Griffin.

Needless to say, Perkins became a bit defensive, and a little "Twitter turmoil" ensued.

Kevin Love Responds to Twitter

Timberwolves forward Kevin Love let his amusement—or lack thereof—be known via Twitter when rumors swirled about the Love signing an extension with Minnesota.

"If you read it on the Internet it must be true right? #sarcasm" the UCLA alum tweeted on Jan. 24.

The post immediately caused reaction by fans and sports media members alike, and Love's point was made.

Carmelo Anthony Says He Doesn't Want to Leave NY

Twitter offers players a way to make direct statements safely, remaining mostly out of the spotlight.

On March 12, Carmelo Anthony used Twitter in much the same way Love did. Obviously frustrated with listening to rumors about himself, the All-Star made it clear:

"Alright, enough with all this trade talk. It's making me sick to my stomach to hear that I wanna leave NY."

Steve Nash (and Others) Catch the Linsanity

When the "Linsanity" started in New York, fans weren't the only ones in awe over the bench-warmer-turned-star point guard playing at Madison Square Garden.

The crazy part about these tweets is not necessarily the content, but rather how hyped up NBA stars became—along with everyone else—about Jeremy Lin's success.

Most interesting to me was the enthusiasm of veteran Steve Nash, expressed of course via Twitter:

"Its crazy! I'm watching Linsanity hoping every shot goes in. Hope I never grow up."

As a fan, it's encouraging to see one of the best point guards to ever play so pumped up about a fresh face in the league.

While I would have expected Nash to view Lin as rising competition, the veteran expresses the same sense of wonder and excitement we were all experiencing in front of our televisions.

Shaq Announces His Retirement

I realize this technically happened during the offseaon, but I think it definitely deserves a mention on this slideshow.

In June, basketball great Shaquille O'Neal used his Twitter account to post a video announcing his retirement after 19 seasons in the NBA.

The former center continues to keep himself in the basketball spotlight, and he also continues to interact with fans via social media.

"We did it. 19 years baby. I want to thank you very much," O'Neal said. "That's why I'm telling you first. I'm about to retire. Love you. Talk to you soon."

JaVale McGee: You Can't Pick Just One

So we already know that JaVale McGee, in addition to being one of the most athletic players in the league, tends to make a lot of "Not Top 10" highlight reels.

If you think watching McGee's mess-ups is entertaining, make sure you follow him on Twitter.

From creating a cartoon alter-ego for himself (see above photo), to tweeting texts from his mom, to telling jokes and making spelling errors, McGee independently posts some of the craziest tweets of the league.