Phobias are a very real thing for human beings across the world, and there often is not a reason for it. But sometimes, phobias and fears come from prior experiences that leave people scarred and for life. Of course, as real people as well, NBA players also fall into the category of humans with real fears.
- 10. Royce White – Fear Of Flying In Airplanes
- 9. Nick Young – Fear Of Dolphins
- 8. Damian Lillard – Fear Of Statues
- 7. Derrick Rose – Fear Of Needles
- 6. Kevin Durant – Fear Of Taking Basketball For Granted
- 5. Shaquille O’Neal – Fear Of Sharks
- 4. Tim Duncan – Fear Of Sharks
- 3. LeBron James – Fear Of Failure
- 2. Kobe Bryant – Hatred For Dog Poop
- 1. Michael Jordan – Fear Of Swimming
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While a psychologist would be needed to analyze a particular player’s fear, they certainly do exist whether reasons exist or not. Here are 10 players’ ultimate fears and phobias, some of them being very disturbing while others are simply strange.
10. Royce White – Fear Of Flying In Airplanes
One of the saddest stories in the modern era, Royce White could not start his NBA career because he simply could not bring himself to fly in airplanes. Of course, traveling via airplane is the main method of transportation in the NBA – and not flying meant White was unable to play away games. Of course, alternative methods of transportation including driving were discussed, but obviously unfeasible.
Royce White was supposed to be a capable player in the NBA because he combined size (6’8” and 270 lbs) with athleticism and natural skills including passing and rebounding. Drafted No. 16 overall, White barely had a chance to play the game he loves as he only appeared in 3 games with an average of 3.0 MPG.
9. Nick Young – Fear Of Dolphins
Nick Young is a funny and charismatic guy, some things we absolutely love about him. But Young was also a good offensive player on the court, averaging 11.4 PPG over his career as a deep-range shooter with above-average athleticism. But like many NBA players, Nick Young has his own fear. But unlike other players, this one is possibly the funniest.
Young is scared of dolphins because he felt a dolphin ride he went on could have ended badly. Young stated how he once rode on a dolphin with his girlfriend, rapper Iggy Azaela, and that the sea creature was intentionally trying to drown him to take his woman from him. Nick Young mentioned:
“He went straight down,” Young said. “He was trying to kill me. I think he was trying to get on Iggy. He was a little friendly, kissing her and stuff. He was trying to take my woman.”
As hilarious as that sounds, only two people will truly know if that is true: Nick Young and Iggy Azalea.
8. Damian Lillard – Fear Of Statues
Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has an innate fear of statues, something he has talked about in the past. The point guard always feels uneasy around massive statues representing historical figures, because it brings about paranoia and general fear. One of those examples is the statue of Abraham Lincoln, where Lillard could not help but imagine the great president getting killed. Lillard confirmed this:
“I’ve always been scared of historic stuff like that. If I see statues of Jesus, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. — all that stuff kind of gives me a funny feeling,” Lillard said.
Lillard’s fears of statues might stem from the time he visited a wax museum, a generally strange place to be considering the molds look identical to the actual historical figures. Lillard mentioned how eerie music getting played paired with the statues looking at him might have killed his love for appreciating works of art.
7. Derrick Rose – Fear Of Needles
The fear of needles is a very real one, and we have seen countless athletes have this issue. Remember, athletes are still normal people at the end of the day and everybody knows at least one person afraid of needles. Even if a person does not fear needles, seeing a thin sharp object entering a vein is not an enjoyable thing by any means. We have recently seen how petrified Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony was of a needle, giving fans something to chuckle about with a hilarious reaction.
But one man who was certainly afraid of needles is former MVP Derrick Rose, one of the most explosive guards to ever play the game. Rose was a budding star for the Memphis Tigers and had a gash above his eye that needed stitching following a 92-74 win over Michigan State in the South Regional semifinal. Rose has a deep-rooted fear of needles and refused stitches by storming out of the locker room in tears. Luckily for the point guard, doctors agreed to glue the stitch above his eye without the use of needles.
6. Kevin Durant – Fear Of Taking Basketball For Granted
Kevin Durant is one of the most dominant scorers of all time and has a host of accomplishments including 4 scoring titles and an MVP award. Once he arrived to join a superteam Golden State Warriors side, Durant won 2 straight championships and Finals MVPs to add to his Hall of Fame resume. Durant is known to have a few quirks in his personality about things that bother him, but his biggest fear has to be taking basketball for granted.
It is easy to see when Durant is on the court because he wants to play every game and every minute if possible. If there is one very positive thing to say about KD, it is that he absolutely loves balling and never cheats the fans. In 2015, Durant made that very clear:
“My biggest fear is that I might be taking it all for granted. Being able to do something I love every single day is a blessing. We play so many games, we have so many practices – it flies by. By the time it’s all said and done, I worry that I might not have enjoyed every single day as a pro.”
Those are truly powerful words from a humble superstar like Kevin Durant.
5. Shaquille O’Neal – Fear Of Sharks
A monster of a man like Shaquille O’Neal probably does not fear a lot of things, but sharks are the exception. The 4-time NBA champion gave a very telling interview in 2011 to the Post, basically confirming his fear of the sea predators. Shaq seems to be quite normal in his fear of sharks, as the majority of the population might feel the same way.
O’Neal also confirmed on TNT that he was afraid to swim as well, before finally being able to learn the art of swimming in water. It seems there is a common theme with professional basketball players where being submerged in water is not the nicest thing in the world, especially when fear of sharks lurking is present.
4. Tim Duncan – Fear Of Sharks
It is widely known that the greatest power forward of all time, Tim Duncan, was training to become a professional swimmer. The big man loved the water and was keen on making that his long-term goal. But a natural disaster completely altered Duncan’s goals, and it all has to do with a fear of sharks. Duncan grew up in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and a category 5 storm ravaged his city of St. Croix when he was just 13 years old.
Without appropriate facilities and swimming pools, Duncan was forced to train in the ocean. After all, what better way to become a better swimmer than swimming in mother nature’s water? But Duncan had an innate fear of sharks, something so real that Duncan completely gave up swimming to focus on a basketball career. As a 5-time champion who is universally recognized as the greatest power forward ever, it all worked out for the better.
3. LeBron James – Fear Of Failure
As an all-time great player, LeBron James hates losing. It eats away at competitors who spend most of their time and money on making sure they are in prime shape every time they compete in professional sports. For LeBron James, that fear seems to run deeper than most. After all, The King spent years trying to win his first championship and had a couple of hiccups on the way due to his fear of failure.
“That’s one of my biggest obstacles,” he said in an interview with Chris Broussard for ESPN The Magazine. “I’m afraid of failure. I want to succeed so bad that I become afraid of failing.”
LeBron has seemingly let that fear go because he can now appreciate being on the court and dominating the game as he normally does. But James’ fear of failure held him back a lot earlier in his career, especially once he arrived to the Miami Heat. The 2011 Finals come to mind after James was unable to get over his ultimate fear. Luckily, The King seemingly has a hold on his fear and has won 4 NBA championships since.
2. Kobe Bryant – Hatred For Dog Poop
Kobe Bryant was almost robotic on the court, acting as a Terminator-like figure when it came to competition and winning games against his opponents. Similar to Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant was obsessed with winning and was an imposing, fearless figure on the court. But Bryant was just human at the end of the day and had a phobia he simply could not get past: dog poop.
Bryant was straightforward when asked about his biggest pet peeve (no pun intended), and immediately claimed it was “dog sh-t”. As reported by Chris Palmer of ESPN the magazine, Kobe made it very clear:
“I hate dog s—. I won’t go near it. So pissed when I step in it. I’ve got four dogs and I just don’t do dog doo. I’m a diva when it comes to that. Back in the day when I was in Italy, I used to order shoes from Nike all the time. I had to have all the fresh joints. I ordered the Elephant Print Jordans that were amazing. I went to the park to play and stepped in a huge pile of dog s—. You wouldn’t believe how mad I was. I was breaking off sticks to try to get it out of the crevices. I smacked them together and scraped the soles on the curb but couldn’t get it all out. Ever since that day I just can’t stand dog crap.”
Everybody has a weakness, and even though Kobe was fearless on the court, dog poop had a different effect on him. Believe it or not, that was his Achilles heel, but we’re not here to judge the Mamba.
1. Michael Jordan – Fear Of Swimming
A lot of very talented players are afraid of water, swimming, and any creatures that dwell in the ocean or sea. One of them is the greatest player of all time, Michael Jordan. We just saw how Tim Duncan and Shaquille O’Neal are afraid of sharks, but Jordan actually has a fear of swimming. But Jordan’s fears on not based on perception, they are based on actual experience. It has been widely reported that MJ saw his good friend drown after getting sucked into the undertow.
Alarming enough as that is, Jordan also nearly drowned in baseball camp shortly after that. It is no wonder a man can have so much fear about being in the water because nobody can know what can possibly happen when submerged in it. Nowadays, however, MJ has found a new passion in his boat. He has competed with his fishing team and actually won some competitions. It looks like he finally overcame his fear and is taking the most advantage of that.
Credit for the idea: Buckets/Instagram
