Top 10 NBA Villains
You talkin’ to me?Today is the fourth anniversary of Vince Carter’s departure from Toronto. And in those four years, the bad blood between the guy they nicknamed Air Canada and the Raptors faithful has continued to boil. As Austin wrote after VC killed the Raps in their first matchup this season, “Cue the ‘What the f*** you gonna say now?’ face by Vince (39 pts, 9 rebs, 6 asts) and after the Raps missed a long-distance prayer, the bad guy won again.”
Four years later, Vince is still a villain in Toronto. Please believe it. Or just take it from reader Tom Toronto, who commented today about Carter, “We’ll boo him until he retires, guaranteed.”
I’m not sure that there’s anyone else in the League who is viewed with quite as much venom. But if there is, it’s got to be one of these guys…
* Stephon Marbury
He was seen as such a cancer to this Knick team that they exiled him. And like a true villain, he still finds a way to pop up – either on his Lincoln HS team, or even last night when he was sitting courtside in L.A. for the Lakers/Knicks game.
* Josh Howard
If Howard stayed on the track he started last postseason and built through the summer National Anthem incident, he could end up being in the same class of villain as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Dennis Rodman.
* Kobe
It’s not just that he comes into your local gym and tortures your heroes. It’s that he does so with the aforementioned Vince mean-mug at all times.
* Ron Artest
He still can’t shake the Palace rep even though he’s gone totally kumbaya since setting foot in Houston (1 tech, 0 ejections, 0 flagrants).
* Bruce Bowen
The NBA’s version of Rodney Harrison won’t ever be able to set foot in a gym without being seen as the dirtiest player on the court.
* Larry Hughes
It’s an attitude thing with Hughes. There were a bunch of people – and it wasn’t even your boy Skip Bayless – taking issue with him when he hit that game-winner against the Jazz because he didn’t pump his fist, jump around, or really show much excitement. He could feed the homeless and people would be suspicious of him.
* Rasheed Wallace
To say nothing of his eight technical fouls thus far this season (No. 2 in the L behind Kendrick Perkins), ‘Sheed’s daily attire of torn sweats and grimy gear works as the perfect costume.
* Kevin Garnett
Hate-hate-hate-hate-hate!
* Ricky Davis
Widely considered kryptonite to a team’s chemistry and success. Case closed.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
Amar says:
good list . . . also need to add:
“(guy on other team) who in the last game between your home team and that team hurt (name of player on your team who got hurt)”.
fans are easy creatures, some have long memories, some have selective memories. i don’t see jazz fans booing calvin booth anymore, though he his a series winning shot against utah in the playoffs back in the day.
I’d like to submit Matt Harpring for this list. if you ever listen to the opposing teams’ broadcast talk about him, you’d swear that harpring was worse than pol pot, hitler and edi amin put together. it doesn’t stop there, as jazz fans hate him as well.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Amar — Calvin Booth hit a series-winning shot? Calvin Booth was on the court in a playoff game? Was this during his Sonics run? I’m blanking. Remind of this please…
December 17th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Vinny says:
Man Amar- are you sure you dont mean Calvin Natt from back in the day,lol! Calvin fucking Booth-really??
December 17th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Mamba says:
Used to be Tim Duncan for me,
Now it is KG without a doubt, not saying I wouldnt want to have the guy on my team, he is all world,
But he is also classless and having to hear people say “Oh thats just KG being KG” is getting really old,
December 17th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Tom Toronto says:
Thanks for the shout out Katz! I wasn’t really looking for notoriety as a Vince hater, but there you have it. Shout out to Silky Johnson & Ice T.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Vinny says:
And why exactly is Larry Hughes on this list?
December 17th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Austin Burton says:
I hate to go off-topic, but I can’t find another platform on which to ask this question:
Does anyone watch, or know anyone who watches, “House of Payne”? Each of the 284 commercials running every day on TBS refer to it as the highest-rated sitcom of all-time, but I don’t know ANYONE who’s ever watched it, and I come from a long line of habitual couch potatoes.
(Maybe this isn’t off-topic, since Tyler Perry is a villain to me.)
December 17th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Ross says:
Every commercial I’ve ever seen for “House of Payne” (many) isn’t funny in the least.
But yeah, KG for sure. There’s no more Robert Horry in the league, so definitely KG.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Ross says:
But to answer your question, Austin, I’ve never seen that show, nor do I have the desire to.
December 17th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Vinny says:
I agree with you Austin- Tyler Perry in drag doesnt work for me at all! I watched 1 show(house of payne) because someone i knew was in it and it stll sucked!
December 17th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Austin Burton says:
I watched the first episode, didn’t laugh once. Watched the second episode, didn’t make it past the halfway mark. The fact that they’re airing 2-3 new episodes a night just to speed up the process (Perry was given a deal to produce like three seasons, so I think they’re trying to get it out of the way in 1.5 seasons’ time) tells me something. But then they gave him a SPIN-OFF?!? I don’t get it.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Kobeef says:
It is easy to answer this question – which player gets booed most often in an opponent’s court.
Vince takes it easily and every time he shows up with 30-9-6 lines it just makes his quitting on the Raps even harder to take.
Carlos Boozer is pretty much public enemy in Cleveland..
@Austin
I watched HOP last night for the first time and laughed out loud a couple of times. It’s the 2008 version of the Cosby Show with a lower class family swapped-in for the big-money Huxtables.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
rangerjohn says:
its KG for me these days also
where are all the manu haters???
December 17th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Amar says:
calvin booth when he was on the mavs. it was a last second tip-in in the 1st round against the jazz back in 2000 i think.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Amar says:
here’s the first link that pops up from google re: calvin booth game winner
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/1312115.stm
I know my nba ball.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Ross says:
@rangerjohn,
They’re in this page:
http://dimemag.com/2008/12/whos-better-manu-ginobili-or-tracy-mcgrady/
December 17th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Amar says:
re: houes of payne
I always wondered how the ads stated that it’s the #1 comedy of all time . . . what metric where they using? a poll by tyler perry’s mom?
December 17th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Austin Burton says:
@Amar — I think it was the church-going drag queen sample.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Desrat says:
The all time number one basketball villian, maybe the all time worst villian, is D. Stern. That d bag is the devil. All of the players on this list are fun to hate, but Stern inspires HATE.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
fallinup says:
I hated John Starks back in the day. He always had that smirk about him. He just looked like a douche. LOL
December 17th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Austin Burton says:
J.J. Redick in college. Same for Christian Laettner.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
George W Kush Sr says:
steve francis used to get boo’d in Vancouver, but they dont have a team anymore, and i dont think he even plays anymore…
December 17th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
@ Austin, I loved JJ in college, dude was straight sick, jackin thirty footers and just makin it rain all day. I loved it when he used to go to the line against Maryland and all the fans would yell F*** JJ, and he’d calmly sink them!
December 17th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
SoulOnIce says:
You’re right, Austin. JJ Redick was HATED in college. Hansborough’s not too far behind him, especially this year. Joakim Noah was hated a lot, too.
In college, the hate is much worse than in the pros.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
SayItAintSo says:
For reals, Manu belongs on thie list ahead of most of these peeps.
December 17th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
sans says:
Manu needs to be on that list as much as Bowen, just for the floppin’.
@ Austin–naw, I have never even had the slightest inclination to watch that show–the ovehype during the playoffs was so bad it killed any chance of me ever setting eyes on it.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Austin Burton says:
That’s my main problem with TNT/TBS; they overhype shows so much it ends up having the opposite of the intended effect. For example, I was subject to so many ads for “Leverage” that I decided to never watch it just out of spite. My fiancee, however, got me to watch it and it’s actually a really good show. But TNT almost killed it for me before I’d even given it a chance.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Brown says:
The only thing I know about House of Payne is that one of the characters is the dude who played Marcus Stokes on Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
I’ll never watch that show, not even to see if it’s funny because I can tell by the commercials that it’s not.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Scott says:
VC is the ultimate villain in Toronto. Why? Because he BLATANTLY QUIT on the team, the city and the fans, Toronto is a sports city, and they expect the players on their teams to at least put out the effort. But everyone knew that for at least a half season he played half-assed ball. All those guys listed played hard, hell even Marbury played hard, he just had personal issues with everyone.
Trust me, if your superstar who you thought could lead you to the promised land just decided to half-ass it, you’d be pissed too.
That being said, this is a hockey town, so when the people find a villain they’re gonna enjoy booing him, just as much as VC enjoys hearing the boo-birds. And trust me, he loves the rivalry just as much as we do.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Diego says:
I remember that Calvin Booth Dallas series; that was for Calvin’s NBA life what that one year’s Seattle playoff series was to Jerome James’s.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
akash says:
House of Payne is the worse show ive ever watched. They overdue the whole african american stereotype angle, to the point where its not funny and you just think to yourself, I don’t think the average black family is like this. House of payne should never be in the same sentence as the cosby show. On top of that most of the scenes are melodramatic, and the acting is so bad you dont know if they are trying to be serious or funny. Its probably considered the number 1 show on tv (which I highly doubt it is) because it comes on like 5 times a day its bound to get a decent number of viewers
December 17th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Austin Burton says:
@akash — That is Tyler Perry’s whole routine, playing up the stereotype to the extreme. And not even in a clever, self-examining way like Dave Chappelle. He’s just a clown.
December 17th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
.K.i.n.G. says:
i hate rob babcock, and im shocked that no one has mentioned any general managers, because there are a bunch that just FUCKED up
December 17th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Steve A says:
TBS/TNT needs to can anything with Tyler Perry’s name on it immediately before we all turn into DAWN of the DEAD due to exposure to that crap. Air any combo of the rocky movies, predator, and the Godfather films…you will get much better ratings!!
December 17th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
Austin Burton says:
And why did TNT stop airing “Above the Rim”? That used to be a post-NBA staple.
December 17th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
dapro says:
I refuse to watch House of Payne and basically anything associated with Tyler Perry because of the “Sambo” routine his characters go into
I liked one movie of his, “Family that Preys” because of Sanaa Lathan
She could be in a dog food commercial and I’ll Tivo it
December 17th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Amar says:
above the rim is one of my fav movies of all time.
and as for GMs, I know the knicks fans love Scott Layden . . .
December 17th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Bruce says:
Toronto — You have your choice between Zo and Vince. Pick one, son.
December 17th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Bruce says:
and Dime
Worm is the man……….still is……..
December 17th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
LakeShow84 says:
House of Payne is just plain Bad..
What was the show with the main white doo named Archie?? Because thats all it is trying to duplicate.. Some grouchy man, who aint got nothin to be grouchy at, being a prick to his “loving family”.. Bleh anyways.. Most hated villain?? Me personally;
Gilbert Arenas (all talk, no more walk + big payday?)
Anderson Varejao (Floppers = disusting)
James Posey (dirty, dirty, dirty D)
The world of basketballs most hated person??
KOBE BRYAAANNNNTTTT.. Dude gets the blunt end of EVERYTHING.. Shaq feud?? His fault.. Detroit Finals loss?? His fault.. Phil Leaving?? His fault.. Groupie Girl in the anal?? his fault.. Shit its sucks because i ride and die with my team but i have to constantly defend and like this fool.. But as a laker fan trust me.. We dont trust him and if we could get sufficient value we would trade him.. But who can you trade for the best??
And let me say it again.. No one is hating on KG.. We are disappointed because we all rooted for him to get his ring (ok 5% of me wanted to see him get it that way) and this is how he acts once he gets it?? What happened to the crying-humbled-im-losing-now KG?? GONE like fast..
December 17th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
LakeShow84 says:
Oh and Kwame Brown!!
I will never forgive or forget him biting on that pump fake from Tim Thomas in the playoffs..
That man has the basketball smarts of a bag of hair..
December 17th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
Post 40 is correct Kobe is blames for everything… If he shoots and scores 50 and they lose, the media says its because he’s a ball hog. If we lose and he doesn’t shoot a lot, they say he didn’t shoot enough. Also it’s the media and the NBA’s obsession with having another MJ. There will never be another one like the G.O.A.T. So everything Kobe does is magnified by like 10,000. Kobe is like Duke, Yankees, Cowboys, Barry Bonds. You either Love to Hate him of Love to Love him. Either way, you love him and you’re talking about him. Cause he’s the best.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
doc says:
I hate Willie Green and Iggy,throw Sammy Dalenbum in there to.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Celts Fan says:
@AB – preach on man. I don’t know anyone that watches that shit. It looks horrible and when the commercials – which are supposed to give you the best line to get a laugh and get you interested – are completely painful, you know it’s horrible. ditto for My Boys. how can you air that shit and have a tagline of “We know comedy.” worst programming ever. If I could punch Ted Turner in the face for pushing that shit down my throat every damn commercial break of every game, I’d gladly do the jail time I’d get for it.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
tres says:
@ all raptors fans
Let it go, all the hate you pour toward VC just makes him want to kill your team everytime. Sure he admitted he quit, but face it, your team sucked, and he’s the reason you made the playoffs in the first place.
If I were you I’d save all that hatin on Bosh when he leaves for New York in 2 years.
I’m not a fan of either, I just enjoy watchin Vince ball when he plays the Raps.
And yeah I hate KG and the whole Celtics bandwagon. Get off their nuts, they will never win another ‘chip.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
2 Easy says:
Funny enough I swear we had this House of Payne debate already and Im fairly certain your the one who brought the topic up Austin because of the abuse of advertisements they get during games. Conversely I have never and probably will never watch the Closer for the exact same reason. It may be a good show but I’ll never know because they commercials killed it for me and I live in Canada so that goes to show how much they show em durin a game. Um Ditto wit Vince hate Ive been havin this argument since we first faced them in the playoffs but Vince isnt the only one hated he just gets the brunt. Zo is a demon, RJ is seen as a smartass, Tmac still occasionally booed (I dont agree wit it) and if Damon was still in the league he got it. If more people cared about TJ ford Horford would be evil too luckily he’s gone cause I like Horford
December 17th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
2 Easy says:
O and I forgot to speak on the KG hate. Um really this guy was doin this same crap LAST YEAR and NOW its showy? So what he gets his ring and hes supposed to stop and become Shane Battier? I love KG gettin into people’s faces and scarin me in my livin room. I dont always agree wit his tatics sure but I wud rather him do it all then none at all. Too many guys are afraid to yell at their team cause their labelled a bad teammatte but as long as KG produces and yells he has rights to do so. He damn near broke Perk’s sternum on and AND1 he had tonite. The only problem I have wit KG’s passion is everyone seems to think they can pull it off (Powe, Perk, Baby, etc) and even Pierce started talkin more shit las year. Naw son thats where I draw the line, if it wasnt you before dont try to make it you now
December 18th, 2008 at 8:25 am
Amar says:
lakeshow — you’re talking about “all in the family” with the character archie bunker ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066626/ ). it was a great show because it satirized conservative viewpoints back in the day. (dude hated on his son-in-law for being polish, etc) it had a pretty interesting spin off show called “the jeffersons”, for those kids who did not know.
December 18th, 2008 at 8:36 am
AB_40 says:
wow no ginobili? no shaq? no gilbert?
josh howard has been quiet since the summer and larry hughes? seriously
December 18th, 2008 at 11:43 am
Diego says:
After last night’s game, I was reminded how much I hate the Celtics, and particularly KG who basically is imo just a prick–please quit rationalizing him. (I have no problem with Ray, or Rondo–who knew he would be this good ever? Also, Pierce is more-or-less alright in my book, although I think he whines too much and gets way too many calls (but the latter is not his fault).) KG should thank his lucky stars his 3 teammates have helped him finally make a wave in the post-season (and don’t kid yourself, KG had some pretty good teammates in Minn. other than his last couple years there). Finally, KG is just wildly overrated. I just HATE him.
December 19th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
KanDman says:
KG = intensity…..don’t want him in your face? well outplay him and shut him the fcuk up!!!
December 19th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Mark says:
I remember Calvin Booth. God a big payday because of that shot. Made the Mavericks (somewhat) relevant.
It’s definitely Kobe. He’s one of the best we got, has a track record of immorality, and more attitude on court than we know what to do with. He’s also not ignorant and stupid, so you can’t really find anything wrong with him, other than the rape case.
But to be fair, that girl had multiple semen samples linked to her. So Kobe wasn’t the only one that probably raped her; he just had more money.
December 20th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
elcherino says:
WHERE IS CARLOS LOOSER? I agree with one da other posters, Boozer #1 Enemy in Cleveland and soon to be Utah.
Lazy, injury prone, Bald headed looser who has no or small balls and his wife makes decisions for him with no integrity screws blind disabled people and leaves town like Ctown and soon to be Utah without giving a shite, which is wat he is. Com bak to Ctown, we will bring our bats LOOSER!