{"id":5984,"date":"2021-06-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=5984"},"modified":"2021-06-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-03T00:00:00","slug":"tuesdays-top-twelve-most-hateable-active-nba-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/?p=5984","title":{"rendered":"Tuesday\u2019s Top Twelve: Most Hateable Active NBA Players"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I think it\u2019s a good time to bring back one of our old regular features, Tuesday\u2019s Top Twelve<\/em>.  We were appropriately afraid that \u201cTop Ten\u201d lists would get too trendy, so we do Top Twelve.  We were not appropriately afraid of posting these on non-Tuesdays, but whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, as the Sixers finished off the Wiz and are now getting ready for the Hawks and, possibly, the Nets, it\u2019s probably time to talk about what really matters \u2013 how hateable some of these guys are.  As you may remember the wrinkle of this regular feature, these lists are not opinion; they are fact and inarguable (tongue-in-cheek, folks, tongue-in-cheek).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, without further ado, these are the Most Hateable Players in the NBA<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Considered<\/strong>:  RoCo (love you, Dave!), Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love (only for this<\/a>), Zach Lavine, Blake Griffin, any Plumlee brother, the entire Ball Family, Andre Drummond, Andrew Wiggins, \u201cThe Zinger,\u201d Daniel Theis, and any former Duke player whose last name starts with a \u201cB,\u201d and any former Duke player whose last name does not start with a \u201cB\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12). Rudy Gobert<\/strong> \u2013 This one is tough for me because I really appreciate how Gobert handled everything back in March.  So, I am a Gobert defender, but I have to be objective here since this list is factual, and it\u2019s really hard to forget this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"See<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Like I alluded to, I think he owned his mistake, sincerely apologized, and seemed to be very earnest about how he realized how stupid he had been and whatnot.  And, I really appreciate that.  He was just VERY immature.  But, ya know\u2026COVID\u2026so, he\u2019s gotta be on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11). Russell Westbrook<\/strong> \u2013 To quote Doogan:  \u201cWestbrook:  19 pts, 21 reb, 14 ast, 3-19 from the field, you weirdo.\u201d  But, he\u2019s a weird dude with a weird game that is, somehow, simultaneously over- and <\/em>under-appreciated.  His numbers are RIDICULOUS \u2013 (22 ppg, 12 rpg, 12 apg this year), but he is such an enigma.  And, he is notorious for stat-padding<\/a>, which is HIGHLY hateable.  He is also kind of weirdly aggressive and kind of strange in the \u201cheat of battle,\u201d which leads to hateability.  While I could hear arguments to be higher,  I love his competitive fire, and he is obviously one of the best pure athletes to ever play the game, so he\u2019s certainly fun to watch.   This seems like the right spot because, who knows anything for sure with Russ?!?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10). LeBron James<\/strong> \u2013 To be honest, for the best and most visible player in the world to only<\/em> be #10 on this list is kind of a feather in LBJ\u2019s cap.  And, I have a lot of LeBron defending in my past.  But, there are some things that cannot be ignored.  The \u201cKing James\u201d thing may have been a marketing creation, but it was annoying.  \u201cThe Decision\u201d was kind of an innocent mistake, but it<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Image<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

happened.  And, now this new LA chapter in his life where he seems to want to be some sort of Renaissance Man or Business Mogul or whatever it is he\u2019s trying to make us think he is now is not helping.  Plus, he seems to have an opinion on EVERYTHING nowadays\u2026which doesn\u2019t help.  So, ya\u2026hateable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9). Draymond Green <\/strong>\u2013 This another one that is just an homage to \u201cobjectivity\u201d because I enjoy Draymond, the player, and probably don\u2019t hate Draymond, the dude, as much as I should.  But, the point remains that he is a dirty player with an ugly jumpshot who played on a BS team that was easy to hate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8). Chris Paul <\/strong>\u2013 This one might be more personal because I simply can\u2019t stand Chris Paul, but objectively, the dude is hateable, so he belongs on this list.  He always has a punchable look on his face, is quietly one of the dirtiest players in the league, and always seems to just be kind of a d*ck.  He\u2019d be higher on my personal list, but I\u2019m beholden to fact here, so #8 is where he falls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7). Kevin Durant<\/strong> \u2013 Part of me feels bad for Durant because he seems like a decent dude deep down, but wow is this dude sensitive!  The rabbit ears, the \u201cif you can\u2019t beat them join them\u201d mentality, the crazy fake Twitter accounts, the ridiculous feud with Michael Rapaport<\/a> (where he seemed to be quite bigoted), and even the weird pink backpack in college.  Weird isn\u2019t hateable, for sure.  In fact, I like weird.  And, sensitive is probably a positive trait if it doesn\u2019t manifest itself in insecurity and hatred.  But, this dude just seems like kind of a mess, and not totally in a sympathetic way \u2013 very much in a hateable way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6). Donovan Mitchell <\/strong>\u2013 The evidence for Mitchell\u2019s hateability isn\u2019t quite as vast as some of the guys who are ahead of him on this list, but he\u2019s only been around and barely relevant for a couple of years.  I\u2019d say that Mitchell\u2019s \u201chateability upside\u201d is elite \u2013 he\u2019s just still kind of an untapped talent of hatebility.  But, already, he\u2019s been a total baby (trying to keep this relatively clean for the kids out there) about multiple things (the Rookie of the Year, the Gobert Covid thing, every single time he drives the lane\u2026), so he still clocks in here at #6, so good on him.  Sky\u2019s the limit, Donnie \u2013 you have a shot at the GOAT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5). Grayson Allen<\/strong> \u2013 The only reason he isn\u2019t at or near the top of this list is because he just isn\u2019t all that good and, therefore, kind of irrelevant.  But, his hateability totally transcends his mediocrity\u2026which is quite impressive, to be honest.  First of all, his name is Grayson.  Second, he\u2019s very <\/em>\u201cFlorida.\u201d  Third, he\u2019s some rich kid who went to a very expensive elementary, middle, and high school whose mission statement is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProvidence School prepares its students to be boldly Christian and unquestionably academic servant leaders who change the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fourth, he went to Duke.  Fifth, at Duke, he decided that he would just start randomly tripping people during games.  And, then when it got national attention, he did it AGAIN!  This guy has ELITE hateability that is only held back by his lack of basketball ability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4). James<\/strong> Harden <\/strong>\u2013 Where to start with Harden.  Again, I generally like \u201cweird,\u201d but this dude is the bad weird.  The weird where he just doesn\u2019t give a crap.  For all the heat LeBron and Durant got for forming \u201csuper teams,\u201d Harden seems to get a pass.   Plus, the dude\u2019s penchant for strip clubs and insane parties and getting fat.  Don\u2019t get me wrong, I don\u2019t hold partying or getting fat against anyone (I\u2019m no hypocrite), but this dude seems to take it a little far \u2013 if you are to believe anything you read.  But, it\u2019s also his on-court stuff.  His illegal stepback jumper.  His ridiculous leg motions to \u201cdraw a foul.\u201d  And, his absolute aversion to playing any defense whatsoever.  It also doesn\u2019t help that there are people trying to defend his defense by saying absurd things like \u201che\u2019s actually really good if you look at the advanced stats of him in the post and blah blah blah.\u201d  No, the dude SUCKS on D because (a) he\u2019s not good enough and (b) he doesn\u2019t care AT ALL.  Oh, and F that beard.  Highly hateable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3). Trae Young<\/strong> \u2013 Like Mitchell at #6, Young is both the present and the future of hateability.  He\u2019s still very inexperienced and has played in exactly one playoff series, but this dude is going places.  And, he\u2019s got the rare combination of (a) actual hateable things, like his punchably cocky SMUG looks (b) shallow hateable things, like his hateable hair or lack thereof, and (c) totally hateable game where he has puts up empty numbers (a la Westbrook) and plays ABSOLUTELY NO DEFENSE (a la Harden).  He\u2019s the total package of hateability and could be heading for loftier heights as his career goes on.  Good luck, Trae, we\u2019re all rooting for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"See<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

2). Steph Curry<\/strong> \u2013 It is really, REALLY hard for me to make a list of hateability and not have Steph as #1, but that should tell you just how tough the competition is right now.  Steph defines one of the world\u2019s worst personality traits \u2013 SMUG!  He might be the most punchable athlete on the planet right now, and it doesn\u2019t help that everyone loooooves him.  Sure, his offensive game is great and REALLY fun to watch, but that almost makes him more hateable because I find myself liking to watch him and then I see him be him and I hate myself for liking it.  And, maybe the worst part is that he\u2019s got a lot of things working AGAINST his hateability \u2013 he\u2019s been an underdog, he\u2019s fun to watch, he seems media savvy and whatnot.  Which undergirds the whole hateability argument because we should LOVE him\u2026but, we don\u2019t.  We definitely don\u2019t.  Smug\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1). Kyrie Irving<\/strong> \u2013 In no surprise to Kyrie himself, Kyrie ends up as #1 on a list.  Any list.  And, since no one can do Kyrie justice but Kyrie, I\u2019ll let him make the case in his own words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBasketball isn\u2019t a game; it\u2019s an art form.  You master the fundamentals so you can forget \u2019em, so you can improvise and just concentrate on what really matters:  getting buckets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew that I didn\u2019t need LeBron, but he needed me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo alarm clock needed.  My passion wakes me up!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to be on the cover of \u2018GC.\u2019  That\u2019s my personal goal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re very much woke, there is no such thing as distractions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI went to my agent and told them, \u2018I want to be on another Disney show.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t leave home without my Skullcandy Crushers.  I don\u2019t leave home with my Bible, without my phone, and without my computer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMultiple Bentleys isn\u2019t making anyone \u2018financially set.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDraft day is a hectic day, especially for draftees and, more or less, for management.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do not talk to Pawns.  My attention is worth more.\u201d  [then, after getting fined for not talking to the media]  \u201cI pray we utilize the \u2018fine money\u2019 for the marginalized communities in need, especially seeing where our world is presently.  I am here for Peace, Love, and Greatness.  So stop distracting me and my team, and appreciate The Art.  We move different over here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2018Grease is an awesome movie.  I wish they\u2019d make a new one, more for our time.  The graphics are terrible when you look back on it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want more, just google \u201ckyrie a**hole.\u201d  You\u2019ll get all the evidence you need.  Congrats, Kyrie, you win again!  You the smartest, coolest, and wokest dude in the 21st Century that actually believes that the Earth is flat\u2026literally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE:  If the NBA seeds hold, the Sixers will be facing SEVEN of these guys during the playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think it\u2019s a good time to bring back one of our old regular features, Tuesday\u2019s Top Twelve.  We were appropriately afraid that \u201cTop Ten\u201d lists would get too trendy, so we do Top Twelve.  We were not appropriately afraid of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5984"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5985,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5984\/revisions\/5985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/broadstreetbelievers.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}