NBA Power Rankings: Shaquille O'Neal and the 20 Most Abusive Players Ever
"Who me?"
Yes, you.
You're one of the "foul"est players ever, Shaq, tenth most foul in fact.
This is a slideshow of the 20 biggest foulers in NBA history, with some facts elbowed in there, and elbows elbowed in there, too.
Think they're all just a bunch of goons? Well, think again: if you include O'Neal, almost half (9) of the greatest foulers are Hall of Famers. Coincidence? Or is it an indication of passion, longevity, dedication, sacrificing your body and leaving it all on the floor?
In fact, yes. These bad boys are some of the greatest players to ever play the game, and probably more than any other factors, it is longevity and consistency, not goonery, that has catapulted them onto this list. Yes, even Bill Laimbeer. He was pretty good.
You'll recognize most of the non-Hall of Famers, like Bill. And while not all of these players grace the halls in Springfield, everyone on the list is a member of the Hall of In-Fame-Y (ouch).
Size matters as well: The bigger you are, apparently, the more you foul. It just takes longer to get out of the way I guess. Most of the players are centers and forwards. There is only one pure guard and one guard-forward. That tells something interesting about the game.
Shaq's the only active player on the list. So what are the other guys up to now? Mugging old ladies? Stealing candy from children? Nope. We've got a WNBA coach, a minister, a community relations representative, and a scholar.
Many of the players are champions, too, it's important to note.
It's not what your momma taught you. Bad boys are the best.
20. Bill Laimbeer (Lambs) 3,633
1 of 20
I figured we would start off with a clothesline to Larry Bird.
Bill Laimbeer, who ironically sported the nickname "Lambs," (a play on his surname), was anything but gentle.
The fightin' Laimbeer wasted no time in his first year out of Notre Dame and recorded a career-high 332 fouls - over four infractions a game his rookie season! That's not a good way to make friends.
Not only was he a proficient fouler, but a proficient flopper as well. If there's any doubt, the NBA itself calls him "one of the most notorious players ever to throw an elbow, thrust a hip, or feign being fouled." (NBA.com)
Even Dennis Rodman, an expert on the matter, said, "[Laimbeer] was more than a thug, but that's what he'll be remembered for." ("Bad As I Wanna Be" by Dennis Rodman)
True. Laimbeer was a master of the boards and pulled down over 1,000 rebounds three years in a row, leading the league twice. He was also an integral part of the "Bad Boy" Detroit Pistons back-to-back championship teams in 1989 and 1990.
And before you write him off as just some goon, note he's got a great head for the game and a way with the ladies, having coached the WNBA's Detroit Shock to three titles. You have to love that.
Photo: pistonsforum.com
19. Tom Chambers (T.C.) 3,742
2 of 20
What is it about the early 1980's? It was a time most foul.
Tom Chambers, too, scored the most fouls of his career, 341, in his rookie season, 1981-82. He followed that up with another 333 the next year, averaging 4.2 FPG both of those seasons.
The relentless fellow even had five fouls in an All-Star Game, as did a bunch of these guys (relentless!)
Today, Chambers is a community relations representative for the Phoenix Suns. [Insert joke here].
18. Shawn Kemp (Reign Man) 3,826
3 of 20
Shawn Kemp couldn't help but foul. Here, he hard fouls using only his eyes.
Kemp led the league in personal fouls on three different occasions, including a whopping 371 in 1999-00. That's the fourth most fouls in a single season ever.
He was one of the top three foulers in the league eight times.
Photo: AP
17. Terry Cummings (T.C.) 3,836
4 of 20
Terry Cummings never managed 300 fouls in a single season, but consistency was the name of his game, and he notched over 200 fouls in each of the first 10 years of an 18-year career.
Today, Cummings is a Pentecostal minister. Are you feeling the irony yet?
Photo: AP
16. Hal Greer 3,855
5 of 20Hal Greer is the first of nine Hall of Famers on the list (and one of only two guards).
He recorded over 250 fouls 11 years in a row, but was also effective at drawing and converting fouls himself with a patented jump shot from the free throw line, seen here.
Greer won it all with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1967 (not 1962 like the video errs).
15. Jack Sikma 3,879
6 of 20
Jack Sikma was a prolific fouler all 14 years of his career. It had everything to do with the mean defense he played.
Sikma is the 14th best defensive rebounder ever and sports a yearly statlines flourished with top 10's in total rebounds, rebounds per game, defensive rebound percentage, defensive rating and defensive win shares. In 1981-82 he was the best defender in the league.
Three years before that his defense helped lead the Seattle Supersonics to their only championship (1979).
14. John Stockton (Stock) 3,942
7 of 20
When you're reaching in there for steals, it's not so hard to pick up a bunch of fouls along the way.
Such is the case with Hall of Famer John Stockton, the only true guard on the list, who also picked up a reputation for being dirty thanks to frequently fouling away from the ball, too.
Stockton had a five-year stretch when he thieved at least 200 balls, leading the league twice, and dished more than 1,100 assists, leading the league all five times. The little man was all over the place and in everyone's face.
The two word phrase most often used to describe Stockton's style is "sneaky-dirty," and he was, infamous for the physical, elbowy screen.
13. Patrick Ewing 4,034
8 of 20
Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing is the first player on the list to bust out with over 4,000 fouls, and one of two New York Knicks.
He wasn't really known for being a big fouler or even that physically aggressive, but 17 years of clogging up the middle and snaring defensive rebounds makes avoiding fouls pretty tough.
Ewing led the league in fouls in 1987-88, and the playoffs in 1993-94, when he led the Knicks to the Finals against Hakeem Olajuwon's Houston Rockets (more on him later).
Ewing was a top 10 defensive rebounder seven times and is eighth in the category all time.
He's still in the NBA, as an assistant coach to the Orlando Magic.
12. James Edwards (Buddha) 4,042
9 of 20
The Detroit Pistons represent again, this time with bruiser James Edwards, who boasted an incongruent nickname: "Buddha."
Before Edwards cooled off a bit and went on to win three rings (two with three of the biggest goons of all time - Darryl Dawkins, Bill Laimbeer and Dennis Rodman - in Detroit and one with Rodman in Chicago), he started off with over 300 fouls in each of his first five seasons.
Just look at him, he looks like a prize fighter, and here he has Kevin McHale in a hold.
Photo: secretalien.com
11. Otis Thorpe 4,146
10 of 20
Otis Thorpe led the league in fouls in the more-forgiving mid-90's when 300 was enough to top the list.
He was drafted by the Kansas City Kings in 1984. Ten years later he'd win a championship with the Houston Rockets, defeating the Knicks and that other big fouler, Patrick Ewing.
10. Shaquille O'Neal (Shaq) 4,146...and Counting?
11 of 20
Shaquille O'Neal, oldest player in the league, is the only active player in the top 20.
The 7'1", 325+ pound center has himself been fouled relentlessly over the course of his career for a couple of reasons: his size and free-throw shooting. One of the biggest and heaviest players to ever play the game, Shaq was hacked and attacked from game one. Every now and then you'd even see a defender literally hanging on O'Neal's arms.
This exposed Shaq's Achilles' heel: he's notoriously bad from behind the line. Opponents have since leveraged the foul-Shaq strategy as an essential part of their game plan. Today, he ranks third all-time in free throw attempts, but due to his lifetime 52% FTP, he's only 17th in free throws made.
At least he returned the favor.
Shaq is tied with Otis Thorpe as the 10th most prolific fouler in NBA history and he will move up the charts if he signs on for another season, which is the word right now, according to fannation.com, a Sports Illustrated site. Assuming he plays, say, half the 2011-12 season (due to injury and age), he should eventually become the sixth biggest fouler ever, based on his career average of 3.4 FPG.
O'Neal won the NBA championship with the L.A. Lakers three times (2000-2002) and once with the Miami Heat (2006). He is destined for the Hall of Fame on the first try.
9. Kevin Willis (Devo) 4,172
12 of 20
Kevin Willis fouled so much, here he is almost fouling a ref.
Only once did Willis bang over 300 fouls, but he was a fierce rebounder always around the ball - for more than 20 years. The result? Ninth biggest fouler ever.
Willis owns a ring. He won the championship in the waning years of his career: 2003 with the San Antonio Spurs.
8. Cliff Robinson 4,176
13 of 20
As we creep further into the top 10, note that for some longevity and positions become the most significant factors in career foul accumulation.
Such is the case with center Cliff Robinson whose career spanned 1,380 games (seventh all time) with five teams over 18 years.
Don't be concerned though, there are a couple goons still to go.
By the way, Robinson went to the playoffs 17 times, with four different teams (Portland, Phoenix, Detroit and New Jersey), playing in 141 postseason games. No titles though.
7. Elvin Hayes (The Big E) 4,193
14 of 20
Twelve-time All Star, Hall of Famer, awesome Elvin Hayes, was one of the greatest NBA defenders of all time. Three years in a row, Hayes had the second, first and third best defensive rating in the league.
Over the course of his 16-year career, Hayes had a combined 33 top 10's in rebounds, blocks and defensive win shares.
He was at his most combative as a Washington Bullet, when he had a six-year stretch never averaging less than 3.7 FPG.
Elvin Hayes is not all about errant elbows and over-the-top rebounds, though. He's a champion member of the 1978 Bullets.
And, after he retired, he returned to the University of Houston to finish off his degree.
Photo: sportsmemorabilia.com
6. Buck Williams 4,267
15 of 20
Buck Williams averaged at least three fouls a game for the first 14 years of his career.
Williams was named four times to the All-Defensive teams and crashed the boards and the opponents enough over his 17 years to be the 13th best rebounder and sixth biggest hacker of all time.
Today, he plays in amateur contests to raise money for charity.
5. Hakeem Olajuwon (The Dream) 4,383
16 of 20
Hakeem Olajuwon exemplifies the defense-fouling correlation most perfectly.
Olajuwon is the only player to have 200 steals and 200 blocks in the same season. He was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and named to nine All-Defensive teams. He's the number one blocker in NBA history and, get this, the seven-footer is eighth all time in steals.
All that reaching for the ball inevitably leads to a bunch of fouls. Hakeem wasted no time, too, leading the league is rookie season with 344. He averaged over four a game four seasons.
I guess it paid off: The Hall of Famer won back-to-back championships with the Houston Rockets in 1994 and 1995.
4. Charles Oakley (Oak) 4,421
17 of 20
Who's got the best backhand in New York? McEnroe? Uh-uh. Oakley.
Charles Oakley never played a full season without "handing" out at least 250 fouls and was a top ten fouler eight times.
He's the only non-Hall-of-Famer in the top five, making him, perhaps, the foulest goon of all time. Check yourself, though, 'cause he had mad skills, too.
Oakley was a fierce defender and was not above making it personal on the court. He'd get in your head. He'd get in your face. He'd get in a fight.
Opposing offenses had to work their way around the aptly nicknamed "Oak."
Alas, like teammate Ewing, Oakley is titleless. He still went to the playoffs 15 times with three different teams. Not only that, he is a beloved New York fan favorite forever.
3. Robert Parish (Chief) 4,443
18 of 20
Robert Parish, member of the original "Big Three" with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, played 21 seasons and owns the record for most NBA games ever played.
Parish wasn't an acute fouler, recording 300 only twice and possessing softer FPG averages than his fouling peers (2.8 for career), but ranks high thanks to an injury-free career. He played in at least 72 games for 20 of his seasons.
"Chief" got his nickname from the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, because his manner resembled the quiet and docile (though what lurked beneath he surface) Native American character of the same moniker. Tell that to the record books.
Hall of Famer Parish was a member of the champion Boston Celtics in 1981, 1984 and 1986. He won another ring with the Chicago Bulls in the final year of his career, 1997. He played in only two regular season and two playoff games for the Bulls that year. It counts.
Photo: boston.sportsthenandnow.com
2. Karl Malone (The Mailman) 4,578
19 of 20
He'll stamp ya.
Or, he'll elbow you on the way to the basket. Or he'll knee you on a layup. Or he'll...
Karl The Mailman Malone is so underrated, barely cracking the top 20 in many best player lists. The failure to bring a championship to Utah was one reason, but he was also dirty and disliked. Hang on though, Malone went to the postseason 19(!) times, all but one year with the Utah Jazz, and played in almost 200 playoff games.
Malone transformed the elbow into an art form. He's the second biggest fouler in history and wasn't even called for half of them.
But c'mon, the Hall of Famer was beyond great. He has the second most points and field goals in history and is first all time in defensive rebounds.
Malone also absorbed his fair share of shoves: He's sunk the most free throws on the most attempts.
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew) 4,657
20 of 20
Yup. Most minutes. Most field goals. Most points.
Most fouls.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was by no means a goon. His skyhook was ballet-like and intended to avoid contact. He's number one based almost entirely on minutes of service.
In 20 relatively injury-free years the Hall of Famer never recorded 300 fouls and notched 250 only four times.
Kareem has played in the second-most playoff games in history (237), behind, wouldn't you know it, Robert Horry, the all-time leader at 244.
Jabbar is a champion six times over, most of the big-time foulers: once with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971 and five times with the L.A. Lakers ('80, '82, '85, '87 and '88).
Photo: Getty
Follow me on Twitter @VinGetz.
And check out the Sports List of the Day, every day, for a quick hit of knowledge.
