The NBA is not entertaining due to big moves, long-shot three-pointers, and power dunks. The NBA is comprised of personalities, first and foremost. Being a champion also means having a specific kind of personality. And many of the players in the league use their personality to promote the sport further.
Today, due to social media, everything that the players do is largely known. However, back in the dark days, there wasn’t any internet to show us just how crazy some stars can get.
Here are a few stories that you probably didn’t hear before.
Charles Barkley Once Threw a Man Out of a Window
Sir Charles is one of the biggest personalities that you can get. He was known for his power play and skill on the floor and his antics off the floor. On one such occasion, while he was in an Orlando bar, he got into an altercation with a man who spilled his drink all over Barkley.
He was treated by Charles picking him off the ground and throwing him out through a pain glass window. In court, Charles said that he regrets that they were on the ground floor, showing no remorse for doing the deed.
John Terry Got a tattoo of the NBA Championship Trophy Before Winning it
In 2010, John Terry came to the preseason rocking a new tattoo. It was the Larry O’Brien trophy on his biceps. That year the Big 3 consisting of James, Bosh, and Wade was formed in Miami. The Heat was the obvious favorite to win the title. Although a good team, the Mavericks where Terry was playing were not in the mix.
However, to everyone’s surprise, Dallas managed to take home the trophy, winning 4-2 against Miami in the final series. To make things even more spectacular, Terry dropped 19 first-half points in Game 6 to make sure his preseason prediction comes true.
Lamar Odom Ends up in a Coma after Partying in Vegas for 3 Days
After becoming the NBA Champion with the Lakers, Lamar Odom became known for marrying Khloe Kardashian. But what the show Keeping Up with the Kardashians was not able to show was how actually troubled Lamar was. He showed his frustration after breaking up with Khloe.
He ended up partying for three days in Las Vegas and was found with a prostitute half-dead after consuming massive amounts of cocaine and sex-inducing drugs. Doctors didn’t give him a lot of chances to live, but somehow he managed to pull through. What didn’t survive was his relationship with Khloe as the divorce was finally settled.
Paul Pierce Got Stabbed and Still Managed to Play the Whole Season
In 2000, when Paul Pierce was only in his third year with the Cs, he was found partying at a private club in Boston. However, he was viciously attacked by some members of a Boston rap group, the Made Men, who smashed a bottle on his head and stabbed him 11 times.
Pierce was rushed to the hospital immediately thanks to his teammate Tony Battie as Paul underwent emergency surgery. Paul got off Scot free and came back to the court playing as you used to before. What is even more interesting the stabbing didn’t prompt him to miss any games that season. In fact, he was the only Boston Celtics player to play all 82 games that season.
The attackers would never have thought that they were attacking a future NBA champion and a Hall of Famer.
Crazy isn’t it? Who would have said that the NBA was so vicious back in the old days?
