In one basketball game, there are many emotions that a basketball player can feel. They can feel happiness, sadness, and the worst is angriness. Basketball is a game of physicalities but fighting is not allowed. NBA players who are frustrated are the players the one who is most likely to start a fight. Coaches and referees make sure that there will be no fight that will happen to make the game more civilized.
However, some NBA fans like to watch an NBA fight. They wanted to see the fighting abilities of each NBA player. Also, fans instigate the away team players so that they would feel angry and lose control and focus on the game. Even though NBA fights are not impressive to see from the eyes of many, it is indeed exciting to watch such an occurrence.
This article will check different biggest NBA fights of all time. These are the underrated clips from the NBA. I am showing you this not to promote fighting but to serve excitement for all NBA fans reading right now. If you are ready, let us start!
1. Malice At The Palace
This fight is the biggest and most troublesome in the history of the NBA. The malice at the palace happened in 2004. It was the Denver Nuggets and the Detroit Pistons who were involved in this fight.
Ron Artest is the one who provoked the Detroit Pistons’ angry emotions when he gave Ben Wallace a hard foul. After that hard foul, many retaliations have taken place between Detroit and the Pacers. While Artest was on the sidelines there was a fan who threw a beer on Artest. Ron Artest charged into the stands, and the fight against fans and NBA players started. It was a bad day for the NBA.
What do you think happened next? Well, after that, there have been many suspensions, fines, and many people have been charged with assault, both players and fans. Many changes happened after this fight, especially on selling beers.
2. Alonzo Mourning Vs. Larry Johnson
Both Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson have physique and robust bodies. They are in the second list, and many analysts considered this fight as one of the biggest trouble happened in the NBA, and this is one of the most exciting NBA fights to watch. The two are nemesis ever since they have been teammates.
They did literal fistfights like in the UFC. They started to throw a couple of fists into each other after a few shoves. Luckily, both of them are good at avoiding punches because no punches have successfully landed on their faces. This scenario happened during the 1998 NBA playoffs
This is one of the most insane and memorable fights in the NBA. Another thing that makes fans laughing about this fight is when they saw Jeff Van Gundy hanging on Mourning’s ankle.
3. Bill Laimbeer Vs. Charles Barkley
This game happened during an NBA game in 1990 where the Sixers faced the Detroit Pistons. The fight was a fistfight with a couple of punches that have been landed in the face of each participant successfully.
It was Isiah Thomas who provoked the Sixers where he punched Mahorn. After that, many retaliations happened. Do you know what happened next? When Mahorn started the fast break, he successfully dunks the ball. After that, Laimbeer shoved the ball into Mahorn’s face. Charles Barkley rushed to back up his teammate, and from there, Laimbeer and Barkley started to change blows.
After some blows, both of them grappled and fell off the floor. Many players have been involved, and the emotions began to spread.
4. Philadelphia 76ers Vs Boston Celtics (1984)
In the early 1980s, fights were not yet widespread in the NBA. This is the NBA fight where the biggest NBA fight of the 1980s happened. Many have been involved here, including the coaches and other players.
Some of the big names that are included are Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, and Charles Barkley. The fight began when Julius Erving hit Larry Bird with a hard foul. After that, they stood nose to nose. After a few seconds, the two started to exchange blows at each other. Charles Barkley grabbed Bird to separate the two.
Because of what Barkley did, Erving was given a chance to throw free punches on Larry Bird. After that, many players got involved, and many players started to throw some punches.
5. Derek Harper Vs. Jojo English
This fight is the most embarrassing NBA fight that happened because the NBA commissioner is sitting in the corner watching the game. This fight occured when the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks faced off.
The fight started when Jojo English said some words against Derek Harper, and both of them get face to face in the three-point line after the whistle. The NBA fight got intense because of the body slam happened and some punches that have been thrown.
After that, many players jumped and joined the fight because of emotions that have been built up.
6. Kobe Bryant Vs. Chris Childs (2000)
This scenario is one of my favorite scenes of Kobe Bryant because of how well he tries to defend himself. The fight was between the youngster vs. the old one because, at that time, Kobe Bryant was only 22 while Chris Childs was 33 years old.
After some couples bumping on the side, Kobe slaps Chris Childs, which provokes the emotions of Childs. Chris Childs retaliated and threw some punches on Kobe Bryant. After Kobe ate some punches, Kobe Bryant did not succumb and threw some punches too.
Kobe Bryant was having a hot head that time I guess because Kobe is not like that for what I have seen in some of the clips where he was provoked by other NBA players.
7. Rick Fox Vs. Doug Christie (2002)
This NBA fight happened during the NBA preseason. The Kings and the Lakers have some history because the Lakers always overtook the Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals. The Kings were frustrated and looking for revenge on the Lakers. However, Doug Christie started revenge on his own.
Doug Christie started to get hot when Rick Fox shoved him with an elbow and some push on the face of Doug. After that, Doug Christie retaliated with an uppercut punch. The fight didn’t end up like that. After both of them ejected, they continued the fight in the tunnel, and many players got involved including the injured Shaquille O’Neal.
Final Words
These are the biggest fights in NBA history. They look uncivilized and not good to watch, but it is exciting for sure. However, referees and the commissioner of the NBA changed some rules to prevent sudden big NBA fights. The players involved in the fight won’t only be remembered by fans because of their impressive career but also because of the big trouble they have made.
Do you find each NBA fight exciting? If yes, what are the other NBA fights you have liked? Comment your answers in the comments section below!
