NBA Power Rankings: The 50 Craziest Players in Hoops History
Every sport has its batch of players where it's hard to describe exactly what they are. For the most part, we are able to lump them together under one word: crazy.
Whether it's someone using drugs, adopting strange hairstyles or just flat-out being enjoyable to watch due to his antics, there are some NBA stars that are just that.
Those who are crazy run the gamut between the harmless ones who are good for a few sound bites to flat-out dangerous ones that have criminal records. On top of that, there are those who should have their own reality shows with the way they act.
Here are the 50 craziest players in basketball history.
50. Walt Frazier
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Crazy doesn't mean bad necessarily. Sometimes one's craziness is just harmless fun. Such was the case for Hall of Famer Walt Frazier.
He was hard-nosed on the court, but off the court he was known for his extravagant and flamboyant style, appearing before games either with a designer suit on or a mink coat while driving in a Rolls Royce.
Now an announcer, he maintains a unique sense of style in the booth.
49. Hedo Turkoglu
2 of 50He's not all that crazy, and may pale in comparison to some of the other players on here, but Turkoglu has his moments of strangeness. His interview last year is perhaps the best-known clip of him, where he just says "ball" in response to a question.
While English is not his first language, I still wonder if that was on purpose to let the interviewer go or if it was some inside Raptors joke we are all missing out on.
48. Tony Lavelli
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If you are not sure who Tony Lavelli is, I can't blame you. He played two unimpressive seasons between Boston and New York before retiring.
What puts him on the list is that, during halftime of games, he would play the accordion for the crowd. Not only did he do so, but it was conditionally written in his contract that he would do so at halftime or else he would not play for the Celtics.
That was crazy, especially for back then.
47. John Starks
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Sometimes, one's overly physical play can turn into craziness once in a while. This happened with John Starks, who for the most part was one of the biggest players on the Knicks in the 1990s.
Starks and Reggie Miller naturally did not get along, being rivals on the court, and at one time, Starks headbutted Miller and was thrown out of the game. He wasn't too crazy, but at times, his emotions did get the better of him, and with the Knicks being good back then, it was understandable.
46. Tree Rollins
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Wayne "Tree" Rollins was an 18-year veteran of the league who fought discrimination to be a mainstay in the league thanks to his shot-blocking ability. However, he has a very crazy moment himself.
In 1983, in a match against the Boston Celtics, Rollins and Danny Ainge got into a scuffle when Ainge nearly had his finger bitten off by Rollins in what is certainly one of the strangest injuries of all time.
At least we know where Mike Tyson learned that move from.
45. Shaquille O'Neal
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Shaq is an amazing basketball player. Yes, he's way past his prime, and his feud with Kobe got annoying rather quickly even though it hung around forever.
Despite this, his personality, his acting, and seemingly everything he does just contributes to how well he will always be remembered.
44. Ronny Turiaf
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Ronny Turiaf was originally lucky to be in the NBA at all. After being drafted by the Lakers, he needed open-heart surgery and ended up being out over a year. He eventually did return to basketball and is now part of the Knicks.
A couple months ago, Turiaf was the subject of a bunch of inflammatory tweets by someone named Candy, who was reportedly an escort for him. Depending on which side is right, either Turiaf or Candy is crazy, and either could be on the list.
43. Drew Gooden
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The first in a long line of "stylists" to make the list (to put it loosely), Drew Gooden seems to be getting more interesting to watch as he gets older. His hairstyle was originally completely bald, with the exception of a small patch of hair in the back.
He calls it a duck tail; I call it a reverse soul patch.
Either way, Gooden has now recently taken to adding a beard to the mix, whether it's a typical long one, a dreaded beard or something else. It's nowhere close to Dennis Rodman, but it keeps things interesting for whatever team he's on.
42. Bob Sura
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Bob Sura was, for the most part, a quiet point guard who was not really known in the league. During a short stint in 2004 though, that changed.
In two games for the Hawks, he had gotten triple-doubles and was looking to make it three straight, a very rare occurrence.
What did he do? As you may have guessed seeing as how he's on a "crazy" list, he intentionally missed a layup at the end of the third game just so he could get a rebound, not even really paying attention to the game itself.
Then again, he could have done much worse, as we'll see later in the list.
41. Greg Oden
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Oden's quickly starting to turn into a bust on the court, but off the court, he may have to be careful about finding a new career.
It's not often that nude pics surface of a basketball player, but that's what happened to Oden in January 2010. He apologized for them and said they were meant for a girl, but it's still crazy that such a thing happened.
40. Chris Mullin
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Chris Mullin ended his career as a great pure shooter who had a great run with the Golden State Warriors. Before he was a key shooter in the early 90s though, his career was nearly over after a couple seasons.
The first few seasons in Golden State took a toll on Mullin, and he sank into alcoholism while not working out and keeping himself in shape. When Don Nelson took over, he convinced him to get rehabilitated, and he became the effective scorer we know him as.
39. Delonte West
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Delonte West has not had the easiest path in getting to the NBA, and he has had legal problems. He got arrested for weapons charges after being stopped for a traffic violation back in 2009, and was suspended for part of this season as a result.
What gets him on this list, however, is the rumor swirling around that West slept with LeBron James' mother. Whether he did do so or not, that could not have helped matters in the weeks leading up to The Decision.
38. Bill Laimbeer
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The leader of the Pistons "Bad Boys" of the 1980s and early 1990s, Bill Laimbeer earned a reputation as a dirty player. Rather than denying it, Laimbeer seemed to embrace his very physical style of play, going so far as to endorse a "combat basketball" video game.
37. World B. Free
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His name alone is pretty much enough to get him on this list, especially because he legally changed his name to that in 1981. During his time in the league though, he was considered one of the characters of the game and was a very flamboyant player.
Had his career come 10 years earlier, he probably would have been a huge star in the ABA, as he fit right into that mentality.
36. Bill Walton
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Bill Walton was a great center when healthy, but his injuries unfortunately were very frequent. We have Yao Ming today; back then, basketball had Bill Walton.
While he was tough on the court, off the court, he was a huge Deadhead. Indeed, Bill Walton may be the biggest fan of the Grateful Dead on the basketball court, so much so that he's part of their Hall of Honor.
Combine a basketball center with them and you have yourself a crazy combination.
35. Kermit Washington
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Kermit Washington is pretty much solely known for his punch of Rudy Tomjanovich in 1977. That gets him on the crazy list easily.
However, what we forget is that there was a scuffle that preceded it involving both teams and that this was a rather isolated incident in his career, so I can't put him that high.
34. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
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The most prolific scorer in NBA history had his fair share of scuffles. He was part of the Kermit Washington scuffle, and earlier that same season, he punched Kent Benson in a season opener.
In fact, he ended up missing 20 games in 1977 as the result of a broken finger due to that punch.
33. Kobe Bryant
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The Kobe Bryant-sexual assault case of 2003 was such a media frenzy that it has to be included in this list. After all, his public image took such a huge hit from it and it lasted for so long that I'm not even sure if said image really recovered fully from that.
Aside from that, the Kobe-Shaq feud was so dragged out that it did feel silly to watch, so the combination of the two absolutely merits inclusion.
32. Chris Washburn
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Chris Washburn is one of the biggest NBA draft busts, and there's a reason for that. He reportedly had no work ethic and didn't bother trying at all in school, and for that matter, there were allegations that he never attended classes.
What puts him on the crazy list, however, is somehow getting a lifetime ban from the NBA for three failed drug tests in three years, on top of being caught stealing a stereo in college. There's no question this guy had problems.
31. Kevin Garnett
20 of 50Kevin Garnett may be a no-question Hall of Famer, but so are a lot of others on this list. Maybe that's because they have more time to show any crazy side they have to us.
Anyway, in Garnett's case, he's had his share of scuffles. The one that gets him on this list is one with the Phoenix Suns, where he was ejected after reaching in to stop a shot made by Channing Frye and hitting him in the junk in the process.
30. Charles Barkley
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Charles Barkley knows that there's a fine line between telling it like it is and reveling in it; subsequently, he's turned into a crazy person who's rather enjoyable to watch. Barkley crossed that line some time ago, and he remains very outspoken and controversial.
As for the crazy things he's said over the years, take your pick on which ones to tackle. A couple days ago, for example, he said that "truTV is really the white BET." Hundreds of quotes like that are all around the web.
http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2011/03/29/charles-barkley-trutv-is-the-white-bet/.
29. Darryl Dawkins
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Darryl Dawkins was part of the exciting 76ers teams of the late 1970s, and his dunks were something to behold back then. He also had his share of crazy moments.
Aside from being known for breaking the glass on backboards when he dunked, he was a big partier in the early 80s. In fact, he recalls the rampant parties and lifestyle that surrounded the NBA during that time in his autobiography.
28. Eddie Johnson
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There were two Eddie Johnsons whose careers overlapped. The crazy one was known as "Fast" Eddie Johnson, and in fact, his major issues were after his retirement.
Aside from being expelled from the NBA due to frequent drug use, he was later convicted of molesting a child and sexual battery of one, and was sentenced to life imprisonment in a part-crazy, part-sick situation.
27. Stephen Jackson
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Stephen Jackson is probably one of the more confusing players to evaluate. On the one hand, he is considered a great teammate, and some think he is a great player on all levels, both on and off the court, with Don Nelson in particular noting his high character.
On the other hand, he has been charged with felony criminal recklessness and many other misdemeanor offenses over the course of his NBA career.
If you're a Jackson fan and don't think he should be included, that's fine, as people have differing opinions on him (I'm personally fine with him).
26. Damon Stoudamire
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Damon Stoudamire was only one of many Portland "Jail Blazers" that appear on this list. In his case, he was arrested for marijuana multiple times; his third offense resulted in a three-month suspension from the team.
He later was clean after a drug test, and hasn't had further trouble, so he's not as close to the top of this list as others are.
25. Vernon Maxwell
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"Mad Max" was true to his name both on the court and off. On the court, he was named that for his clutch three-point shooting, especially during his time with Houston.
Off the court, he was suspended for 10 games after running in the stands to punch a fan, he's been arrested for failing to pay child support and he was ordered to pay a woman that he infected with herpes.
24. Bison Dele
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Brian Williams, aka Bison Dele, is part of the World B. Free school of name-changing. however, he changed it to honor his ancestry, so that alone doesn't get him on the list.
What does put him here, however, is that he abruptly retired from basketball in his prime after having disagreements with Pistons management. He also had the habit of passing on huge contracts (Seattle offered him $35 million for seven years), and ended up missing chunks of seasons as a result.
23. Scot Pollard
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Over the course of his 11-year career, Pollard probably had about 15 different hairstyles. From the blond mohawk to a shaved head and from a flat mohawk to long blond hair in the same season, you never knew what you were going to get with Pollard.
22. Rasheed Wallace
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Another member of the Portland "Jail Blazers," Rasheed Wallace is the all-time leader in technical fouls, meaning he plays tough enough that some of his actions could in fact be crazy.
In 2003, he managed to get the longest suspension not involving violence or drugs—seven games—for threatening Tim Donaghy, and he also hung out with Damon Stoudamire during his marijuana-using days, and he was implicated in a situation himself.
21. Keon Clark
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The Keon Clark story is one that's full of booze. He was arrested for marijuana and weapons charges after his career ended, and he was an alcoholic for some of his career.
In fact, Keon Clark admitted himself that he "never played a game sober." There's drinking to party and there's playing whilst being an alcoholic.
20. Bonzi Wells
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Next up on the Portland "Jail Blazers" list is Bonzi Wells. Among his many issues are the following: he was suspended a couple games for a verbal altercation with his coach, suspended for striking an official and fined for making an obscene gesture at a fan.
When the Blazers started to rebuild their image, Wells was among the first out of Portland.
19. Allen Iverson
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Allen Iverson may have been great to watch on the court, but off the court, he had a lot of problems. He has been reported as deeply in debt, he was another arrested for marijuana and weapons charges and he's had other issues.
Oh, and he urinated in a trash can at a casino in Atlantic City.
18. Zach Randolph
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Yes, we still have many more members of the Portland "Jail Blazers" to go.
Zach Randolph had many issues during his career in Portland, including punching Ruben Patterson during a scrimmage, but even when he moved to Los Angeles, he still had problems. After punching Louis Amundson in 2009, he was ejected and suspended.
17. Darius Miles
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We're now starting to near the end of the line on the Portland "Jail Blazers." Granted, Darius Miles would be part of the second generation of that group, since he joined the team in 2004, but I'm counting it nonetheless.
He had many wars of words with coach Maurice Cheeks, verbally attacking him his first couple seasons, and he also was suspended for substance abuse violations. He had a nearly career-ending injury in 2006, yet despite that, tried to play for a couple games in Memphis just to get the money owed to him by Portland.
16. Chris Andersen
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Andersen received a two-year ban from the NBA for violating the league's drug policy. Combine it with the picture above, and you can see why he's on this list. After all, who tattoos his neck? Seeing that makes me cringe.
15. Micheal Ray Richardson
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Micheal Ray Richardson has the distinction of getting banned from the NBA, yet after reinstatement, he continued to have the same problems. In 1986, he was banned for failing a drug test three times. When the right to play was restored in 1988, he failed two more tests.
Upon this happening, he played the race card, noting that Mullin was never banned for his alcohol issues, though alcohol was not part of the drug policy.
14. Stephon Marbury
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"Starbury" had a lot of very strange moments, especially when he was on the Knicks. His public feud with Isiah Thomas was a pain to watch, and his spats with other coaches and further problems caused him to be the most hated athlete in New York at one point.
As for his recent career, he decided to broadcast himself 24/7 on Justin.tv in 2009.
13. Wilt Chamberlain
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Wilt "the Stilt" Chamberlain was perhaps the greatest basketball player of all time alongside Michael Jordan. He also claimed to have slept with 20,000 women, or over one a day for 50 years. He was a womanizer and probably ended with a very impressive number, but that amount is just crazy.
12. Jason Williams
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For some players on this list, you can make the argument that they are not all that crazy. From here on out though, there is no doubting that these people are crazy, since the big guns are starting to come out, in some cases, literally.
In the case of Jason Williams, he's been a train wreck throughout his career. Aside from being permanently suspended from Florida, Williams was fined multiple times for lashing out at fans, he's had drug issues and has "WHIT EBOY" tattooed across his knuckles.
11. Calvin Murphy
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Calvin Murphy was one of the best shorter players to play the game of basketball at only 5'9". He also didn't seem to be that good of a person.
Murphy's confirmed to have fathered 14 children by nine women, and in 2005, was actually charged with sexual abuse of five daughters. He was acquitted of the charges, but to have them in the first place is still disturbing.
10. Ruben Patterson
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Perhaps the biggest problem child of the Portland "Jail Blazers" and the last one on this list, Patterson had a slew of problems during his time in Portland.
According to a TIME report on the team, Patterson, "inked a $34 million contract despite an ugly incident with his child's nanny, repaying the team's faith in him by allegedly assaulting his wife." That, combined with his altercations with teammates and coaches, caused a myriad of problems.
9. Marvin Barnes
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"Bad News" Barnes had a lot of off-the-court problems, especially after his career ended. He was arrested for burglary and drug possession, and was a rather big pothead during his career.
What puts him in the top 10? How about this quote:
8. Jayson Williams
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Jayson Williams' legal issues were actually more serious than many on the list, and the trial seemed to last forever. Perhaps that just adds to the craziness.
He was arrested for a DWI in 2010, and on top of that, was also charged with manslaughter after the death of a limousine driver back in 2002, and it was not until 2010 that he finally got a prison sentence after a guilty plea for aggravated assault.
7. Shawn Kemp
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How many kids did Shawn Kemp father? It's at least seven kids by six women. The fact that it became such an easy target for commentators and writers puts him high on the list.
Throw in pleading guilty to a drug possession charge and he has to be high on the list, especially when the first suggestion on Google for "shawn kemp" is "shawn kemp kids."
6. Ricky Davis
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The many stunts Ricky Davis pulled guarantee a top-10 spot here. His showboating and arguments with coaches made him look selfish, and missing a between-the-legs dunk proved that point.
In a game in 2003 as part of the Cavaliers, Davis was one rebound short of a triple-double, so he went to his own team's hoop and missed the basket, grabbing the rebound. "Wrong Rim" Ricky was fined as a result and was pretty much accepted as a showboat.
5. Gilbert Arenas
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The handgun violations that caused Arenas to be suspended were bad enough, but when you factor in the time that Arenas made guns with his hands and pretended to shoot the players, that's more than a bit off-putting.
4. John Brisker
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John Brisker was easily the ABA's resident crazy person. He provoked fights all the time, and according to Terry Pluto's book, Loose Balls, "say something wrong to the guy and you had this feeling he would reach into his bag, take out a gun and shoot you."
His reputation was such that he may have been invited to Uganda by Idi Amin in 1978. No one really knows why he went there, or what happened, as he was never seen again after that.
3. Ron Artest
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Who can get himself suspended for virtually an entire season for having started a major brawl? Ron Artest can. He also openly admits to having a wild personality, and it comes out in his competitiveness on the court.
He was placed in jail and was suspended in 2007 for a domestic violence charge as well, so the attitude was apparently not limited to the court.
2. Latrell Sprewell
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Let's see.. the guy choked his own coach, P.J. Carlesimo, in 1997. He had other problems on the Warriors as well, such as returning to the practice court after an argument with a teammate with a two-by-four.
We can't forget that he turned down a $7 million-a-year deal by noting that he had a family to feed as well. That might be the craziest quote on this entire list.
1. Dennis Rodman
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The crazy hair, the legal issues, the dressing in drag, the many body piercings and ejections, let alone his time in reality television nowadays.
Is it even a close competition for the top spot here? Of course Rodman grabs the crown.
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