The spirit of competition is why we all played, learned about, and watched sports our entire lives. It is what drove us to pursue sports as a career, whether it be on the court or field or off of it. Competition is in our nature as human beings and as individuals who chose sports as a profession, making competition an integral part of their entire lives. However, when you bring together competitive individuals who struggle to get on the same page, even as teammates and not opponents, things can get messy very quickly.
- 10. Rudy Gobert And Kyle Anderson
- 9. Etan Thomas And Brendan Haywood
- 8. DeMarcus Cousins And Donte Green
- 7. Nate Robinson And Malik Rose
- 6. Tony Allen And O.J. Mayo
- 5. Michael Jordan And Steve Kerr
- 4. Draymond Green And Jordan Poole
- 3. Bobby Portis And Nikola Mirotic
- 2. Zach Randolph And Ruben Patterson
- 1. Gilbert Arenas And Javaris Crittenton
- Next
If you have been a part of any team or locker room, then you know that teammates are going to argue. Teammates are going to get loud with each other and challenge each other to do better in the spirit of one common goal, winning. There are also times when teammates will come to blows and get physically violent over these disagreements. Again, in my experience, this is just another part of the job description when choosing to become an athlete for a living. Even still, there are instances where the disagreement between teammates goes over the line between “just part of the job” and disturbingly physical fights. These are the instances we will be speaking of today.
These are the 10 worst teammate fights in NBA history.
10. Rudy Gobert And Kyle Anderson
The most recent example of teammates getting into it between Rudy Gobert and Kyle Anderson of the Minnesota Timberwolves kicks things off at number 10 on our list. The 2022-23 season has been somewhat of a disappointment for the Timberwolves, who clinched a spot to play the Lakers in the play-in tournament this week. The Timberwolves made a big deal this summer to acquire Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz, giving up players who are shining elsewhere, like Jarred Vanderbilt and Walker Kessler as well as a myriad of draft capital moving forward. The deal was supposed to kickstart a new era in Minnesota yet again. Much like history has shown us, it didn’t turn out that way for the Timberwolves so far.
This past Sunday, these frustrations seemed to begin to boil over for the first time in front of the cameras. Anderson and Gobert were seen jawing at each other with Anderson having an NSFW message for Gobert. Then, Gobert got out of his seat and took a swing at Anderson. At that time, Gobert could be seen getting pulled and backing away while Anderson approached before using his better judgment and returning to the bench. Gobert was asked to go home by his team while Anderson finished the game with 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench. Frustrations grew so tense that Jaden McDaniels, Timberwolves starting forward, punched a wall and fractured his hand as well. This leaves too many question marks for a Minnesota team heading into a challenge with the Lakers in the play-in. Can they overcome it? If they hope to do so, they will have to without the aid of Rudy Gobert who was suspended for his actions on Sunday.
9. Etan Thomas And Brendan Haywood
The feud between Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas is one that dragged on for most of their time together with the Wizards thru 2007. The two were in constant competition with each other for a starting job at center for the Wizards and eventually, tempers boiled over multiple times between them. In 2006, Haywood would be suspended for throwing a punch at Thomas in practice, but that would only be the beginning of the turmoil between the two.
On November 2, 2006, the two would reportedly get into a scuffle once again not long after Thomas had been named the starting center for the Wizards’ 2006-07 season. When Thomas sprained his ankle early in the season, Haywood stepped in as the team’s starting center and proceeded to keep the job even as Thomas returned. One more time, tensions would heat up during practice when Haywood elbowed Thomas in practice. The two ran up the court jawing at one another until Thomas threw a punch and connected. Thomas would be suspended for two games. Thomas would be forced to miss the entire 2008-09 season with a heart condition while Haywood remained the starter for Washington moving forward. Thomas would play just three more seasons in the NBA including 26 games with the Wizards in 2010.
8. DeMarcus Cousins And Donte Green
Every NBA fan today knows DeMarcus Cousins as a player who peaked as one of the best big men in the NBA but fell victim to injuries far too early on in his career. Cousins was also known for being a fiery and temperamental personality on the court with opponents. The problem is that energy and passion were uncontrollable at times, and even teammates would have targets on their backs from the Sacramento star.
Even as a rookie, Cousins let his emotions get the best of him about midway through the season after a loss to the Thunder. Cousins felt that Dontre Greene missed an opportunity to get him the ball in a game-tying/winning situation on the game’s final play. Instead, the ball went to Tyreke Evans, who missed a three-pointer, and the Kings lost the game. Apparently enraged, Cousins took his frustrations out on Green and Evans which culminated with fists flying in the locker room. Cousins was fined and suspended by the Kings for the incident and went on to have a decent career with the Kings, which included three All-Star seasons.
7. Nate Robinson And Malik Rose
Oftentimes on the road as teammates, boredom takes over, and you have to find new and exciting ways to keep yourselves entertained. One of the well-documented ways teammates have been known to do that is with gambling and wagering money on various other sporting events. Unfortunately, when it comes to large amounts of money, not even the brotherhood of being teammates can stop an altercation if one side refuses to honor the bet. This is exactly the case of what caused a fight between Knicks teammates Nate Robinson and Malik Rose back in 2005.
The wager between rookie Nate Robinson and Rose was on the Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks. Apparently, the game did not unfold in a favorable way for Rose, who quickly tried to get out of the wager. Seeking his winnings, Robinson confronted Rose in the Knicks’ locker room. However, he did this while Rose was naked and in the shower, making a matter not so comical into a hilarious situation. The commotion was so loud that media members heard it from the press room a few doors down. It was not a good look for Robinson at the time, who had already feuded with teammate Jerome James on the court a little earlier in the season. All was forgiven in the end as Rose and Robinson squashed the beef, and Robinson went on to become a Knicks fan-favorite.
6. Tony Allen And O.J. Mayo
Another way that teammates keep busy also happens to involve wagering their money in one of the oldest forms of gambling, card games. There have been numerous instances of teammates getting into over large sums of money lost in card games and once again, one side refusing to pay up. The first fight over gambling with card games comes out of Memphis where teammates O.J. Mayo and Tony Allen wagered on a card game to pass the time on a team flight. Mayo began to rack up debt to Allen and you can only imagine what followed.
When the chips ran out, Allen and Mayo got into a heated discussion about the debt owed by Mayo. Allen reportedly removed himself from the situation but was antagonized upon his return to his seat. When Mayo approached Allen once again, he was confronted with punches, and a scuffle ensued. The two were separated and reportedly had to have a private meeting with coach Lionel Hollins on the spot. This altercation was just a softer version of what transpired between teammates in Washington just a bit earlier, which happens to be next up on our list.
5. Michael Jordan And Steve Kerr
Teammates Michael Jordan and Steve Kerr won three NBA championships together with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 thru 1998. Before they could get to that, however, there had to be a moment where the two had it out on the court, and that would happen heading into the 1995-96 season. There was already tension between Kerr and Jordan, with Kerr being the Bulls’ union rep and Jordan having contract issues with the union. Things began to escalate even more as Jordan became obsessed with winning after being eliminated in the 1995 playoffs by the Orlando Magic.
Jordan came into training camp, pushing his teammates harder than ever to get back to their winning ways. Kerr, displeased with some of Jordan’s antics, decided to speak up and voice his issue with Jordan. The two then began to talk trash and get physical on the court. Before they knew it, Jordan had given Kerr a black eye and gotten off a few good shots before being separated. Now, obviously, the two patched it up and became close afterward, but what a way to kick off the greatest season in franchise history.
4. Draymond Green And Jordan Poole
Before Anderson and Gobert got into it on the Timberwolves bench this Sunday, NBA fans had probably thought they had already seen the worst teammate scuffle in the NBA heading into 2022-23. Earlier this offseason, the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors set out on yet another request to repeat. This came on the heels of massive contract extensions for young stars like Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins. Now, no one knows exactly what was said, but one veteran didn’t take kindly to some things being flown around the practice facility, and that is where things took a turn.
In a video leaked to TMZ and the public, an altercation can be shown of Draymond Green and Jordan Poole verbally sparring in practice. Green walks slowly toward Poole while Poole pushed Green back. Then, in one quick motion, Green lunges with a right hook to Poole’s jaw while teammates and coaches swarm the two before anything worse occurs. The video sent shockwaves throughout the NBA but resulted in just a fine and no suspension for Green. The two seemed to have put the feud aside and come together for a 2022-23 playoff run.
3. Bobby Portis And Nikola Mirotic
The next fight on our list had some of the more brutal consequences of any suffered on this list. Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis were teammates with the Chicago Bulls back in 2017. Mirtoic reportedly came into training camp that season with a sense of entitlement that did not sit well with his Bulls teammates, especially the younger teammates. Frustrations reached a boiling point after Mirotic and Portis began jawing at each other during a practice early in the season, which was not the first time they had gotten into it.
This time, Portis had clearly had enough and snapped. Portis allegedly struck Mirotic in the face with a punch during the altercation. Mirotic ended up with a concussion and two broken bones in his jaw. Portis was asked to step away from the team and suspended for eight games. The punch was so bad Portis ended up returning before Mirotic did, which did not sit right with Mirotic at all. Mirotic would be traded that season to New Orleans before leaving the NBA for good in 2019. Portis has become an NBA champion with the Bucks and one of the best bench players in the NBA.
2. Zach Randolph And Ruben Patterson
The perfect example of teammates taking it to the extreme in conflicts with each other is the one that occurred between Zach Randolph and Ruben Patterson. As members of the early 2000s Portland Trail Blazers, both Patterson and Randolph had a ton to do with them being dubbed the Jail Blazers due to their extreme behavior on and off the court. Randolph, as a young man trying to make a name for himself, and Patterson, a grizzled veteran, never saw eye-to-eye, and it eventually came to a head during a scrimmage in Portland training camp.
Patterson reportedly got into a scuffle and argument with Trail Blazers teammate Qyntel Woods. That is when Randolph interjected and sucker-punched Patterson in Woods’ defense. The punch was so powerful that it broke Patterson’s orbital bone but immediately sent Randolph into panic mode. Apparently, Randolph was in fear for his life as Patterson was furious, and Randolph even hid out at Dale Davis’ house until things settled down. Randolph would be suspended for two games and fined $100,000. Patterson was dealt to Denver in 2005-06 and played just two more seasons in the NBA.
1. Gilbert Arenas And Javaris Crittenton
One of the NBA’s oldest mysteries is the infatuation with a card game named Booray, or Bourre if you’re from Louisiana. The game of poker meets spades hybrid has led to massive pots of money up for grabs while players can lose thousands in mere minutes. That is exactly what happened on a Washington Wizards team plane back in 2009. Javaris Crittenton was locked in a game of Booray with other teammates when Arenas hopped in the game late, which ultimately grew the pot. Madness ensued.
Crittenton went on a mean losing streak which meant a loss of a substantial amount of money, all while Arenas’ egging him on with trash talk. Crittenton then threatens to shoot Arenas, to which Arenas responds by daring him to do so. Two days later at practice, Arenas showed up at the facility with four unloaded guns in tow. When he confronted Crittenton with the guns, Crittenton already had a loaded weapon cocked back and pointed at Arenas. Now, thank God that nobody was hurt or any shots were fired, but what happened after would be devastating. Arenas and Crittenton were suspended for the rest of the season, and Arenas never really recovered in his career on the court. Meanwhile, Crittenton is currently serving a sentence for involuntary manslaughter in which he killed a 22-year-old woman in a drive-by shooting.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
