Know about the Craziest Fights In NBA History

Video: Best NBA Comeback Games

One of the greatest appeals of basketball is how close fans can get to the action, some essentially sitting on the same court as the players. With courtside seats sometimes selling deep into five-digits, it was obvious what sort of steps the league was going to take to prevent fights.

There have been altercations since the fateful day in Detroit that brought about league-wide changes, but nothing of too much significance outside of some harmless punches, elbows and pushing. It’s so much a thing of the past that it’s become nostalgic. It presents a trip down memory lane when you go back and see how much teams truly didn’t like each other, far different than what we see today, where we’re watching the league’s best players work together in the offseason.

So we’re paying homage to those fights that’ll be a part of NBA history forever. This list of the 20 best or most intense fights in NBA history is dedicated to the brawls and the memorable punches.

ROBERT HORRY VS. PHOENIX
Yeah, it wasn’t much of a brawl but it’s just funny because it is SO ridiculously blatant… and then Horry tries to play it off like it was nothing. Then there’s Steve Nash, who acted like he’d been shot before joking about it afterward. I doubt he realized at the time that this fight probably cost the team a series win.

SHAQ NEARLY DECAPITATES BRAD MILLER
Brad Miller came a few feet away from having a bear paw tear his head off. However, any white guy that rocks cornrows automatically becomes a target.

RONDO VS. HUMPHRIES
How do you stop an incredible double-digit assist streak? Why, you get someone involved in a brawl. Rajon Rondo had a streak of 38 consecutive games recording double-figure assists before being ejected for instigating this baseline fight between Boston and Brooklyn. What’s ironic about this now is that most of the key figures involved (Gerald Wallace, Kevin Garnett and Kris Humphries) have all switched teams. It’ll be interesting to see what happens this year.

KURT RAMBIS VS. KEVIN McHALE
You’ve probably seen this one once or twice. But seriously, what’s up with Larry Bird trying to help Rambis up not once, but twice?

MITCH KUPCHAK VS. AKEEM OLAJUWON
A wild fight only gets crazier after Olajuwon gets tackled into the bench by a referee named Earl Strom. Those are some balls of brass right there.

KOBE VS. CHRIS CHILDS
Bryant always gets praised nowadays for being an ice-cold assassin. Remember when Matt Barnes threatened to throw the ball in his face and Kobe didn’t move?
Yeah he probably realized at an early age, thanks to a New York backup guard, that he shouldn’t be running around starting fights.

DANNY AINGE VS. TREE ROLLINS
During the 1983 Playoffs, Rollins was being called a sissy. So how did he respond? He elbowed Ainge, and then bit his middle finger. The resulting damage required a few stitches and yet the big fella wasn’t even ejected. Mike Tyson would be proud.

P.J. BROWN VS. CHARLIE WARD
Knicks fans will tell you this destroyed a possible championship season. It might’ve… had the Bulls not won 69 games this year. New York, you weren’t beating Mike. Sorry. The Knicks blew a 3-1 lead in this semifinal series in part because it felt like half their team was suspended. Allan Houston, Patrick Ewing and Charlie Ward were suspended for Game 6, and Larry Johnson and John Starks were suspended for Game 7.

LAKERS VS. SACRAMENTO
Watching this live, it felt like something straight out of the WWE. Seriously, a fight breaks out on the court and the guys chase each other down in the tunnels. Then Shaq comes barging in and starts challenging the entire Kings team, halting the action for about 20 minutes. Did I tell you this was during the preseason? Yeah, that Kings/Lakers rivalry was pretty heated.

The 12 Best NBA Fights Of All Time Will Still Shock You