Power Ranking the Best Fake NBA Twitter Accounts

Amar'e Stoudemire probably wishes he could blame a fake Twitter account for the message he sent a fan back in June.

But, not even an impersonation of Stoudemire could have anticipated his use of a gay slur and the decision to actually send said slur to someone. For all the brilliant parodying going on these days, you just can't make some things up.

That said, here are some of the best (or, at least, most interesting) Twitter handles that are entirely made up. Whether to mock, pay playful homage or simply to entertain, these mystery Tweeters ensure that there's more than just hoops news and rumors floating around the web.

There's plenty of less-than-serious reaction as well.

What would you add to the list?

5. Kobe NOT Bryant (@ReaIKobeBryant_)

This Twitter account is unfailingly weird. 

It consists of endless inspirational platitudes, and they'd be absolutely hilarious if you could rest assured they were intentionally ironic. I'm not so sure, though.

Here's a look at one of fake-Kobe's musings:

"

You need to be physically and mentally ready for anything that is thrown at you in life

— Kobe NOT Bryant (@ReaIKobeBryant_) August 1, 2012"

If ironic, well-played. If serious, then hmmm. Here's another one:

"

Sometimes you have to put yourself 1st

— Kobe NOT Bryant (@ReaIKobeBryant_) August 1, 2012"

It sounds like the sort of thing Kobe might say (or at least believe), but we know this is someone parodying Kobe. It's just so hard to tell if they're making fun of him or actually paying homage.

4. NOT SportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter)

Remember when SportsCenter had funny anchors like Craig Kilborn? I know, it was a long time ago.

Fortunately, the Twitter-verse has bestowed a source for sporting news that's significantly funnier than the real things. Never mind that the news may or may not be accurate.

It's full of valuable advice at the very least:

"

In honor of Reggie Miller's birthday, make sure you give the choke sign to any #Knicks fans you see today

"

"— NOT SportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) August 24, 2012"

3. (Not) Walt Frazier (@NotWaltFrazier)

If you've ever watched a Knicks game that wasn't being nationally televised, then you already know what the legendary Walt Frazier has meant to the art of color commentary.

It sounds more like he's reading Beatnik poetry than talking about a basketball game. But hey, he's Walt Frazier. He can do whatever he wants. He'll still have to take his fair share of ribbing, though, and his imaginary Twitter handle does exactly that.

Here's how he reacted to JLin's departure:

"

Finding release in this lyrical masterpiece: "Jeremy Lin That I Used to Know" youtu.be/t45jqsVSJWI (via @iamagm, @thenoctv)

— (Not) Walt Frazier (@NotWaltFrazier) July 18, 2012"

Then again, isn't that how we all reacted?

2. NotBillWalton (@NotBillWalton)

The real Bill Walton was pretty funny too, but only when he wasn't saying something ridiculously hyperbolic and annoying. In many respects, that makes his fake Twitter account far easier to stomach.

NotBillWalton is both witty and surprisingly on point, more so perhaps than his real-life referent. Here are his thoughtful birthday wishes to Kobe Bryant:

"

Kobe has turned 34 today. I can recall an eager Kobe gleefully shooting errant shots like it was last week! Wait, that WAS last week.

— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) August 23, 2012"

He won't win many friends among Lakers fans, except for the honest ones of course. And, NotBillWalton also is willing to share his expertise even when it doesn't involve the sport he loves so dearly. Here are his thoughts on the latest casualty of MLB's doping policy:

"

I feel awful for Bartolo Colon. Evidently injecting bacon grease into your blood stream makes you fail a PED test. Who knew?

— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) August 22, 2012"

Insightful yes? Befitting a legend? Absolutely.

And, of course, 100 percent fake.

1. Not Charles Barkley (@NotChuckBarkley)

It's hard to improve upon the things that actually come out of Charles Barkley's mouth, so this particular Twitter account deserves a lot of credit for even trying.

Much like the real Chuckster, his fake online presence adeptly mixes a little truth in with his ever-entertaining speculation:

"

Happy birthday to Jeremy Lin.I bet he's having a fun party and then Carmelo is gonna come in and ruin it.

— Not Charles Barkley (@NotChuckBarkley) August 23, 2012"

It's hard to argue with that assessment.