HOME / NBA / The 5 Dirtiest Players in NBA History 1. Charles Oakley When you played against Charles Oakley, you knew what your were getting yourself into — a physical war. In his 19 seasons in the NBA, it didn’t matter whether the power forward-center was suiting up for the New York Knicks, the Toronto Raptors, the Washington Wizards, the Chicago Bulls, or the Houston Rockets, Oakley was going to make sure his presence was felt. And felt hard. If you were soft on the court, The Oak Tree would destroy you. He dirty play came from the fact that he wasn’t afraid of the forceful foul, and he wasn’t afraid to fight. You can ask Sir Charles about that. 2. Karl Malone Another intimidating force on the basketball court was Karl Malone. The 6-foot-9 power forward for the Utah Jazz was 250 pounds and built like an absolute freight train. The Mailman may be a Hall of Famer and second place on the all-time NBA scoring list (36,928 points), but he did much more than deliver buckets. Malone delivered elbows. He crushed Detroit Piston Isiah Thomas with one of the more vicious ‘bows in NBA history. To this day, Thomas definitely still remembers. This is what he told Terry Foster of The Detroit News: “I think it was the dirtiest play I have experienced in the game of basketball in my life.” Thomas said of the play, which happened on a Pistons pick-and-roll with Malone rotating to cover the middle. “I don’t think I’ve seen anything as vicious and as intentional to a player. I still don’t understand it.” New rule: Always, always stay away from Malone’s elbows. 3. John Stockton Karl Malone was not the only member of that famed Utah Jazz team to play dirty. Point guard John Stockton was also considered among the dirtiest players to step onto the hardwood. However, the difference between the two, was that Stockton managed to get away with it. People know Stockton as the guy with the most assists in the history of the game, but only those who paid close attention saw him for what he truly was: A scrappy player (or if you take Steve Kerr’s word for it, “a dirty b*stard”). He would fight for every inch, he would set illegal screens, and he’d never hesitate to give you a shot to the torso. But he rarely got caught doing anything wrong. That’s what made Stockton such a tough player — he was just super smart on the basketball court. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t afraid to get dirty like everyone else. 4. Rick Mahorn The Detroit Pistons of the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, were dubbed the Bad Boys. And if you’re curious to know which member of this group was considered the “baddest of the bunch,” then look no than power forward-center Rick Mahorn. What Mahorn lacked in scoring ability — only averaged 6.9 points per game for his career — he made up with physicality. Mahorn was a beast, who would not be denied. He wasn’t as athletic as most of his opponents — he certainly couldn’t just as high — but he would fight for that ball, and do whatever it took to get it. That’s how he played. That’s what people expected. That’s why he’s on this list. 5. Bill Laimbeer Bill Laimbeer was another member of the “Bad Boys” who most certainly deserved a place on this list. He was physical, he took cheap shots, and he wasn’t afraid to flop on the play. His aggressive style of play did not sit well with other members of the league. But that never bothered Laimbeer. The truth was, he thrived off of it: “A lot of basketball is mental,” Laimbeer said. “Some people find the way I play very frustrating. They can’t handle it. I throw them off their game. “I’m playing to win, and I’ll use all my tools both physically and mentally to win the game. Other players don’t like that and I can’t help that. I have to do what I do best. I call it gamesmanship.” Call it gamesmanship. Call it dirty play. Call it whatever you want. The simple fact still remains, there was no one like Bill Laimbeer. Read more: http://www.cheatsheet.com/sports/the-5-dirtiest-players-in-nba-history.html/?a=viewall#ixzz3fTM51XQr
Two Jazz on the all time list playing together their entire career while resorting to dirty plays, AND STILL not being able to win a single ring.
Mahorn and Oakley would knock the crap out of you, but they weren't particularly sneaky or underhanded about it. I don't think of those guys as 'dirty', per se. Danny Ainge should be on that list.
He was known for some cheap shots and dirty plays in his career. Shoving Pippen out of bounds in 1991. Leaping in the air and crashing down on Stockton in that 1994 series with the Spurs. Granted, Stockton was no saint himself, but it was still a dirty play. Hell, even cameramen under the basket weren't safe from Rodman.
Rip Hamilton and the Pistons would have gone with Slava Medvadenkio but I see you stinking...! :grin:
I agree completely. There's a difference between playing physical versus trying to get away with things in the shadows.
Dahntay Jones has tried to intentionally hurt players more than once, particularly Kobe. I'm at work so I can't pull up the video but search youtube for Dahntay Jones tries to injure Kobe.
