From napping to untying an opponent’s shoes to eating a spectator’s food, there is no shortage of moments where NBA players performed something strange during a game.
Here’s a look at the top 18.
Which odd moments from NBA players stood out the most?
18. Nap Time For Chris Kaman
They say there’s no crying in baseball. Well, we say there’s no sleeping in basketball!
Former NBA center Chris Kaman is best known for a successful stint with the Los Angeles Clippers. He earned an All-Star selection in 2010, and Kaman played a key role in helping them reach the second round of the postseason in 2006.
That year, the Clippers defeated the Denver Nuggets in the opening round to clinch their first playoff series win since 1976, when the franchise was based in Buffalo.
Kaman has a pretty nice legacy with the Clippers. But the same cannot be said about Kaman’s one-year tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lakers fans probably best remember him as the guy who was caught sleeping while on the bench during a 2014 game.
Kobe Bryant voiced his displeasure with his teammates, and he said Kaman’s napping segment was similar to doing “crazy” things while your older brother isn’t around.
Be better, Chris!
17. Kyle Lowry Snacks On Popcorn
It’s not in the NBA rulebook, as far as we know, but players aren’t usually supposed to take food and drinks from fans in attendance. Especially junk food.
But during his tenure with the Houston Rockets, Kyle Lowry said, “the heck with that,” and was seen snacking on some popcorn that belonged to a fan sitting courtside.
In Lowry’s defense, it was past the halfway point of the third quarter. The future Toronto Raptors All-Star was obviously pretty hungry. But shouldn’t you wait until after the game to start eating? Doesn’t your coach want you to stay away from eating that junk during a game?
Ah well. At least Lowry provided that fan with an awesome memory that they’ll never forget. And I mean, Lowry is far from the only player to have snacked on a fan’s popcorn during a game.
16. Celtics Practice Long-Snapping
It’s hard to find many similarities between football and basketball when it comes to the actual in-game play. But the Boston Celtics were kind enough to show some football moves after winning the tip-off in a 2012 game against the rival Los Angeles Lakers.
Not sure what the whole idea behind that long-snapping process was. But it was hilarious and odd at the same time. Good on them for being different.
15. Dennis Rodman Takes A Timeout On The Court
Basketball Hall of Famer and five-time NBA Champion Dennis Rodman had plenty of troubles on and off the court. He was one of the most polarizing players of his era. Some loved him for his defense and hard work ethic, but it was easy for others to dislike a guy who let his attitude get in the way far too often.
Rodman, who had a long withstanding feud with the NBA officials, took it to another level in a game between his Dallas Mavericks and the Milwaukee Bucks. Fed up with the refs, an angry Rodman protested by sitting down on the court.
Rodman was hit with a technical foul, and he was also ejected from the game. He continued to berate officials, even taking his shirt off during the ordeal.
The Mavericks wound up losing the game, but at least their fans in attendance were treated to a strange yet totally unforgettable Dennis Rodman moment.
14. Reggie Evans Crosses The Line On Chris Kaman
There are a lot of things you just never do in sports. One of those things you never do is target an opponent in the groin area. It’s sickening, disgusting, poor sportsmanship, and just downright inexcusable.
One of those awful incidents took place during a 2006 postseason game between Reggie Evans’ Denver Nuggets and Chris Kaman’s LA Clippers.
While the two men were fighting for positioning, Evans delivered a shot to Kaman in his groin area. This caused the latter to retaliate by pushing Evans to the ground.
Evans was fined $10,000 for the incident, and he was hit with a flagrant foul. Kaman’s Clippers also got the last laugh as they polished off Evans and the Nuggets in five games.
13. Mike Scott: Drinking on the Job
There are very few jobs on this planet that allow you to drink on the job. That especially applies to athletes, who need to be a hundred percent sober and focused during games. Duh.
But a seemingly thirsty Mike Scott of the Philadelphia 76ers couldn’t help but take a sip of a fan’s beer after leaping into the crowd when he went to chase a ball.
Hey Mike!!! Beers aren’t cheap at sporting events! We hope you bought that NBA fan another drink!
12. T-Mac’s Perfect Punter Impersonation
Tracy McGrady was one of the most dominant players of the 2000s. The seven-time All-Star won the scoring title in back-to-back years, in 2003 and 2004. He and Yao Ming turned the Houston Rockets into a Western Conference powerhouse. Few duos were as fun to watch as those two. T-Mac is also enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
But even the best have those bad days that they’ll probably never forget. For McGrady, that moment of insanity took place during a 2004 game when he was a member of the Orlando Magic.
T-Mac lost his cool and kicked the ball not once, but twice, into the stands. On the second kick, he performed a grade-A impersonation of an NFL punter.
McGrady was thrown out of the game, and he received a $10,000 fine for the incident. Surprisingly, no NFL team offered him a tryout in the offseason. I mean, what did they have to lose?
11. Stephen Curry Ejected For Throwing Mouthguard
Never has a single athlete told as many tales with his mouthguard as Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP and three-time NBA Champion is renowned for his habit of chewing on his mouth guard. But believe it or not, Curry’s mouth guard has also gotten him in trouble on a couple of occasions.
In the waning minutes of Game 6 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Curry was frustrated when he was called for a foul on LeBron James. An angry Curry took out his mouth guard and threw it in the crowd, inadvertently hitting a fan.
Curry was ejected, although he made sure to apologize to the fan on his way out. The Warriors lost the game and eventually the series, as LeBron guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to victory in Game 7. Curry’s ejection was just one of the many things that went wrong for the Warriors, who infamously blew a 3-1 series lead.
By the way, that marked the first ejection of Curry’s career. And it couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Warriors.
10. Somebody On The 76ers Cut The Cheese
Yes, flatulence is simply a human function. It’s natural and it happens to all of us. But you’re still taught proper manners, such as not doing it when other people are around you.
Well, somebody on the Philadelphia 76ers forgot about common sense during a 2019 playoff game against the Brooklyn Nets. That anonymous individual on the bench rudely cut the cheese, and it went viral on social media.
What happened to proper manners, guys?
9. Delonte West Delivers Wet Willy To Gordon Hayward
A “wet willy” is something that may be funny when you’re 12 or under. But by the time you’re a teenager, you’ll have hopefully stopped doing wet willies because you realized they’re just gross.
Unfortunately for Delonte West, he was never the most mature guy during his playing career. We are talking about a guy who was suspended by his own Dallas Mavericks team following detrimental conduct in 2012.
And so, those who grew up watching West couldn’t have been surprised when he delivered a wet willy to Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz during a 2012 game.
Hayward later admitted that he wanted to fight West following the gross antic, but he knew it was better to avoid risking a technical or suspension. Credit to Hayward for taking the high road and being the mature one here.
8. Kevin Garnett Makes Glen Davis Cry
Seeing heated huddles is nothing uncommon. Players and coaches get into yelling matches all the time. It’s just the nature of the sport.
Now, huddles aren’t meant to make players cry. Maybe there will be a bit of screaming, but they’re supposed to be helpful and motivating.
Well, Glen Davis of the Boston Celtics wasn’t exactly pleased when Kevin Garnett berated him during a team huddle. Actually, to say he wasn’t pleased would be a massive understatement, because Garnett’s temper caused Davis to shed some tears.
Davis earned the nickname “Big Baby ” during his youth basketball days. This crying-on-the-bench moment only expanded the whole Big Baby moniker.
The two appeared on TNT in 2016 to discuss the incident. Davis claimed that it was out of passion, and he didn’t want to come out of the game there. Anywho, it’s all behind them, and they’ll always have that 2008 NBA Championship to cherish together.
7. Lance Stephenson Blows In LeBron James’ Ear
Thanks to their shutdown, physical defense, the Indiana Pacers were practically the only team in the Eastern Conference that challenged the Miami Heat during their big three era, when they had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
The two teams met in the playoffs three years in a row from 2012 to 2014. Indiana pushed Miami to seven games in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals and to six games in the 2014 Conference Finals. But they just weren’t able to solve King James and company.
Don’t say the Pacers didn’t try, however. They did everything they could to get in the heads of the Heat. I mean, just look at this moment when Lance Stephenson blew in LeBron’s ear during Game 5 of their 2014 playoff series.
Four years later, Stephenson explained that it was done in an effort to make James mad. It didn’t work, obviously, but at least the effort was there. And the ear-blowing incident created a plethora of epic memes!!!! So thank you Lance!!
6. Ron Artest Pantsing Paul Pierce
Ron Artest-slash-Metta World Peace had many disturbing on-court incidents during his career. His role in the Malice at the Palace incident obviously stands out most. And we can’t forget his vicious, cheapshot elbow on James Harden. Those are just a few of his many mishaps.
One of his other disturbing incidents took place during a game against the Boston Celtics, when he tried pulling down Paul Pierce’s shorts.
Well, Pierce sure got the last laugh there, draining a shot after Artest pulled off the immature antic.
5. Who Swats A Shoe? Honestly?
Stephen Curry was just trying to be a good teammate when Marreese Speights lost his shoe during a tilt against the Mavericks.
Curry picked up Speights’ shoe and tried throwing it over to him, but Tyson Chandler wouldn’t have any of it.
Hey, you gotta give Chandler some credit. It takes some special hand-eye coordination to swat a shoe away during a game. No wonder he won the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year award!
4. Dennis Rodman Kicks A Cameraman
We previously talked about Rodman’s antics and questionable on-court behavior. But that whole sitting-down-on-the-court incident was far from his worst and most memorable.
During a 1997 game between the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rodman snapped and kicked a courtside cameraman in the groin.
The cameraman had to be taken out on a stretcher, and in order to avoid prosecution, Rodman agreed to pay him $200,000 in a settlement. The NBA also suspended Rodman for 11 games over the incident. And for good reason. There’s no excuse for kicking an innocent cameraman doing his job…even though the man was clearly trying to oversell it a bit.
3. Carlos Boozer’s Low Blow On The Ref
In all sports, any physical contact with an official is a big no-no. It will always lead to an ejection, fine, and suspension… Well, unless it’s accidental contact, of course.
Former Chicago Bulls big man Carlos Boozer is a prime example of “getting away” with physical contact on an official. He made a successful bucket while drawing a foul, and Boozer responded with a fistpump…not realizing that referee Danny Crawford was right behind him during the celebration.
Luckily for Boozer, Crawford couldn’t help but laugh at the honest mistake. And no, Boozer was not ejected or suspended for the punch. But still, you gotta be more careful dude!!!
2. Manu Ginobili Kills A Bat
Manu Ginobili will best be remembered as a key component for the San Antonio Spurs’ NBA Championship teams in 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014. He was also a two-time All-Star who earned two All-NBA Third Team selections.
But Ginobili will also be remembered for assisting animal control during a Halloween 2009 home game against the Sacramento Kings. A bat started flying around the AT&T Center, which obviously caused some fear among the Spurs faithful.
Ginobili displayed no fear as the bat flew in his direction, and he neutralized it with one giant swat.
A bat flying around the arena? On Halloween? You couldn’t have scripted that storyline better if you tried.
1. J.R. Smith Unties Shawn Marion’s Shoes
Maybe it wasn’t the dirtiest or the most disturbing on-court antic on this list. But it was certainly the oddest, because we hadn’t seen anything like this in any sport.
J.R. Smith has never been afraid of making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Remember his brain fart during game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals? Or the time when the Cavaliers suspended him after he threw soup at one of his coaches?
Still, none of those incidents were as ODD as this one. You know, the time when Smith untied Shawn Marion’s shoes while Dirk Nowitzki was taking a free throw.
Smith was later fined a whopping $50,000. All because he decided to act like a five-year-old by untying his opponent’s shoes. Never change, JR. That is clearly a moment where an NBA player was caught doing something odd during a game.