Like all sports, basketball has seen its fair share
of blunders and mishaps over the years! Whether on the court, in the
media, or just in life in general, those associated with basketball and
the NBA in particular, have seen some epic fails. In this post, we
explore, in our opinion, the top eight basketball mishaps of all time:
8. Dennis Rodman's Hair Fails
He may be widely regarded as the NBA's best
rebounder of all time, but we've simply lost count of the number of
times we've been awestruck by the mad colours Rodman decides to dye his
hair. It's not a great look, Dennis.
7. Shawn Kemp's Terrible Example
Kemp's career serves as a 'How not to make it in the
NBA guide.' Despite having a tremendous amount of talent, Kemp publicly
complained about his salary on more than one occasion, demanded a
trade, was overweight, got into trouble on and off the court, and
wasted opportunities to get back into the game when he was out. Not the
best of role models for the younger generations.
6. Donald Sterling's Bad Behaviour
If owning the Los Angeles Clippers isn't bad enough,
Donald Sterling's general behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. During
his time as Clippers owner, he was sued for both racism and sexual
harassment, and heavily and openly criticised his own team for not
being good enough. He's not the most popular guy in LA, that's for sure.
5. Kobe Bryant's Sexual Assault Case
After checking into a lodge in Colorado in 2003,
Kobe was accused of raping then 19-year-old hotel employee Katelyn
Faber. Although charges were later dropped as Faber refused to testify
against him, Kobe admitted to having consensual sex with her at the
lodge and cheating on his wife, tarnishing his glowing reputation in
the eyes of many of his fans.
4. Tim Donaghy's Integrity
As an established and relatively well-respected
match official of the NBA for no less than thirteen full seasons, the
news that Tim Donaghy was betting, and winning significantly, on NBA
games rightly outraged fans, players, and other officials alike. With
the number of betting sites
available, he thought he could get away with is, but this was not the
case. His actions damaged the integrity of the league significantly,
earning him his place on this list.
3. The NBA's Infamous Ball Switch
During the 2007 season, the NBA decided to introduce
a new microfibre ball to replace the leather ball that players had used
throughout their whole careers. The players hated it from the word go,
filed a lawsuit, and, before it even reached court, the NBA decided to
switch back to the leather ball. A waste of time all round.
2. Ron Artest's fight
Sometimes referred to as 'The Malice at the Palace,'
the 2004 season game between the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers
is well-remembered for all the wrong reasons. Late in the fourth
quarter, a fight broke out on the court, and a fan foolishly chucked a
can of Diet Coke into the fray. Artest proceeded to charge into the
stands and take his anger out on the wrong fan, landing him a season
ban and tarnishing the NBA's reputation.
Jayson Williams' Crimes
An unbelievable story, Jayson Williams deserves his
place at the top of this list. In 2002 he gave a tour of his mansion
while playing with a shotgun and 'accidentally' shot and killed
55-year-old limousine driver Costas Christofi. Although he was
acquitted of the more severe charges laid against him, he had to pay a
massive settlement to his victim's family and was found guilty of
trying to cover up the shooting. He would later be sentenced to five
years in prison for aggravated assault. A bad guy, for sure.
