NBA Power Rankings: LeBron James and 25 NBA Players We Love to Hate
It seems the better you are, the more hated you are in the NBA.
Many of the league's best players have downsides that cause half the planet to loathe everything about them.
Whether it is on court antics or off court behaviors, fans across the world make it known when they dislike NBA superstars.
In most cases they have justifiable cause; in others, its hard to see why they are so disliked.
Majority of these names will hit home for a lot of people, but there is no denying that with greatness comes hatred.
Here are the 25 NBA players we love to hate.
25. Bruce Bowen: San Antonio Spurs (Retired)
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Bruce Bowen is recently retired but still deserves recognition for his being hated by almost everyone.
His tough-minded, defensive style of play have led many to call him a "dirty" player, and he often complained a ton on the basketball court.
To make matters worse, he won basketball games and titles with the Spurs, and everybody hates people that win when they don't win.
24. Shawn Marion: Dallas Mavericks
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Just watching Marion play basketball bothers some people.
He has made the worst out of almost every situation he's ended up in and certainly has not lived up to expectations.
To simplify the Shawn Marion hate, he's let a lot of people down in places where he was expected to be better.
Oh, and that shot.
23. Marcus Camby: Portland Trail Blazers
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Marcus Camby has been a solid rebounding and defensive presence throughout his time in the NBA, arguably one of the better ones actually, yet he just never seems happy.
He's always made it known how he feels about certain stops along his career and he made quite a stink about the NBA dress code too.
Camby is simply unhappy, and people don't like him for it.
22. Zach Randolph: Memphis Grizzlies
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Randolph has been described as an immature punk throughout much of his career.
He's whiny, overpaid by many standards and has gotten trouble for stupid things far too often.
What most people hate about him, though, are the numbers he puts up in spite of us and the fact that he actually could be even better.
21. Hedo Turkoglu: Orlando Magic
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Hedo's never been loved by much of the NBA fan community, and his nonsense with Toronto really didn't help him out.
Fans find him boring and he's simply been defined as an underachieving jerk with a lack of manners and keen sense of frustrating everyone around him.
20. O.J. Mayo: Memphis Grizzlies
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In Mayo's short-lived career, he's already fought with a teammate about money he owed, found his way onto the bench and subsequently almost forced his way out of Memphis.
Oh, and now he's been suspended for a banned substance which he claimed was in a energy drink that he bought at a gas station.
He was reportedly involved with an agent during his time at USC, showing a little bit of that selfishness that seems to be his major issue.
He's not very well liked right now.
19. Ron Artest: Los Angeles Lakers
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Ron Ron has it tough.
He's on the Lakers, is hated by many for his antics during the fight in Detroit, has rubbed teams and organizations the wrong way and certainly has not helped himself with his mouth and awkward behavior.
Whether it's fair or not, Artest is hated by some and simply misunderstood by many.
18. Tracy McGrady: Detroit Pistons
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For T-Mac, it has always been about being healthy and playing up to his potential; unfortunately, he did not do that very often.
Blessed with incredible physical gifts, natural ability and creativity in scoring the basketball, McGrady has never filled out that potential many have set for him.
The media's never liked him much, and fans certainly don't shower him with love either.
17. Richard Hamilton: Detroit Pistons
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He's had his better days but is now seeing things crumble away, including any fans who have ever liked him.
He's always had a bit of a malcontent attitude, and his style of play is something that does not appeal to too many fans, especially when he acts like he is the top dog despite his lack of clutch play.
It's unfortunate, but you can easily see why fans do not like him.
16. Shaquille O'Neal: Boston Celtics
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Shaq's an intriguing personality.
There are a lot of reasons not to hate the big man: his unbelievable movie career, his rapping ability, sense of humor and of course, his ability on the court in his prime.
But he has certainly rubbed many the wrong way and said a lot of things in the media that bother people.
A long, successful career does not come without its haters, and Shaq has many of them.
15. Carlos Boozer: Chicago Bulls
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Boozer was the first one to spurn Cleveland, and the fans hate him for what is otherwise known as "the Handshake Deal".
The Bulls' big man has been called soft and is generally disliked by the fans for his unfriendly attitude.
He's also a former Dukie, which naturally bothers everyone that is not a Duke fan.
14. Nate Robinson: Boston Celtics
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"Nasty" Nate has generally been disliked by everyone from coaches to fans and all the others in between.
He's been considered an obnoxious pot stirrer with a bit of Napoleon Complex to boot.
Cocky and almost a bit too emotional for some, Robinson is one of those guys that many view as "love him if he's on my team, hate him if he's not."
13. Rajon Rondo: Boston Celtics
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Rondo cannot seem to do right by anyone that is not a Celtic fan.
Many believe he has no right to talk to trash the way he has and say that he was simply riding the "Big Three" to title.
He's been called overrated, whether fairly or unfairly, and seems to be the type of guy that cannot catch a break from the fans just by the way he looks on the court.
12. Tony Parker: San Antonio Spurs
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He plays on the Spurs, has won a lot of basketball games and was married to one of the best looking women on the planet.
He then allegedly decided to sleep with one of his teammates' wives, which is terrible on both the work and home fronts.
Parker's nonchalant attitude certainly bothers many as well and anyone who not only cheats on his wife, but with one of his teammate's wives, deserves to be hated.
11. Anderson Varejao: Cleveland Cavaliers
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Anderson Varejao is one of those players that actually loves to be hated, and he is hated even more that.
He is considered one of the most infuriating players in the NBA, and he loves that.
He's limited talent-wise, complains whenever a foul is called on him and flops every time someone is close to him.
His "Sideshow Bob" hair infuriates fans even more.
People simply hate Varejao for who he is, and he literally eats it up.
10. Paul Pierce: Boston Celtics
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He's loud, brash, obnoxious and a clutch basketball player.
Pierce is notorious for complaining and flopping, and while he's backed up a lot of it, he still irritates players and fans almost every time he talks.
His style of play, whether smart or annoying, has been effective, and people hate him for it.
9. Carmelo Anthony: Denver Nuggets
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Just his name alone sparks hatred in some people's eyes.
Every day since "The Decision", the speculation has been on Carmelo and his potential new landing spot for next season.
The distinct power he holds right now over the situation makes him even more obnoxious, and people just want it to end.
He does not always try; he seems to be interested only with himself, and there really are not many reasons to give fans to not hate him right now.
8. Vince Carter: Phoenix Suns
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"Vinsanity" has been hated by Canada for some time now; the rest of the people simply do not like him.
He does not always try, he settles for bad jump shots, cracks like a piece of glass when you start roughing him up and he genuinely looks like he does not care at times.
Soft and lazy are certainly the most common words when it comes to Vince, and his potential has never been met the way most expected.
7. Kevin Garnett: Boston Celtics
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KG used to be loved in his pursuit of a ring, and now, as a member of the Celtics, he's become a bully that everybody wants to hate.
He's made some dumb remarks along the way, including his famous "I'm ready for war" comments, and now, as a member of the dreaded Celtics, his haters have grown exponentially.
He's surly, and fans have hated his ability late in games for a long time.
6. Gilbert Arenas: Orlando Magic
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Arenas is an intriguing character with a lot of issues.
He does not get along with teammates, brought guns into his locker room and simply does not seem to get a long with any one.
The man they call "Agent Zero" has about that many people that actually like him.
5. Joakim Noah: Chicago Bulls
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The most infuriating player in all the NBA.
Noah brings a ton of energy and brash cockiness to the game that many cannot stand.
He's got crazy hair and brings so much emotion to the table that people often look upon him negatively.
His attitude, which oozes of super star mentality, is just too much for people that are not Chicago fans.
4. Sasha Vujacic: New Jersey Nets
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One of my associates actually emailed me, "Why do people dislike Sasha Vujacic? You can make this a 2,000 word column."
Vujacic was hated by just about everyone, including his own team, during his time in Los Angeles.
The man they dubbed "The Machine" simply finds ways to get under everyone's skin, and there are not many who have kind words to say about him.
3. Manu Ginobli: San Antonio Spurs
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I once read that everyone hates Manu because he plays basketball like a soccer player; he flops, complains, gets in the way with his incredible amount of hustle and irritates everyone.
He bothers everyone he plays against, is a thorn in every team's side and has an uncanny ability to bother every other fan as well.
His teammates love having him; everyone else hates him for it.
He wins basketball games and rings; everyone else hates him for it.
Manu wins his own way and he is universally hated for it.
2. Kobe Bryant: Los Angeles Lakers
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The new public enemy No. 2; when you're the best you often have as many haters as followers.
Kobe is no angel, though, and his past sins are hardly worth getting into.
Laker fans love "The Black Mamba", and everyone else just hates everything else about him.
1. LeBron James: Miami Heat
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Public enemy No. 1.
"The Decision" alone is enough for people to hate him for years to come.
He bailed on his home town and has taken things to new heights as a hated player.
There is a good chance he will never be liked again.
