Nate Robinson
You’re bound to be dealing with a lot of cockiness when surrounded by professional athletes. There’s got to be that air of, “I’m the best,” that floats around the room and creates a lot of tension between egos – which is probably just how it feels to play on a team with Nate Robinson.
While the player may be able to dunk a ball, does that makeup for the fact his attitude has resulted in a number of altercations between him and past teammates? Some of which have gotten physical to the point they poured out into the seats where fans sat.
Jim Jackson
This Fox Sports 1 analyst spent 14 seasons with the NBA. His career with the league took him to the court for 12 different teams. One of those teams happened to be the Dallas Mavericks, on which he played through the ‘90s. During his time in Dallas, in 1996, the rumor mill started to turn and ended up creating a bit of (supposed) beef between Jackson and teammate, Jason Kidd.
When asked about the incident themselves, everyone involved in the rumor said it was just that – a rumor, and there was no truth behind it.
O.J. Mayo
Now, you’ve got to remember that some of the things on this list happened decades and decades ago. People change over the years, the world changes, and it’s important to note that people do stupid things as teenagers – things that they (hopefully) grow out of later in life. But then, sometimes they just turn out to be jerks.
Then, in 2011, at 30,000 feet in the air, he and teammate Tony Allen got into a fight over a card game. Fists were thrown, but Mayo seemed to be on the losing side of things, according to reports. Five years later, he violated the NBA’s anti-drug policy when he failed drug tests, resulting in a two-year ban from the league.
DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Cousins got his start in the NBA straight out of college, like many other players, and that leads to a lot of arguing between teammates. Throughout the course of his career, he struggled to maintain respectful relationships with his teammates, coaches, and others around him.
Rafer Alston
Rafer Alston, who’s also known as Skip to my Lou, definitely isn’t winning any teammate of the year awards anytime soon, that’s for sure. He was arrested twice in the span of a month in 2007. The first time was for public intoxication, and the second was when he got into a violent altercation in a club. In 2009, he found himself suspended from the Orlando Magic after slapping another player in the back of the head.
After his return to the game and when he was playing for the Miami Heat, it wasn’t long before he slipped up once again. This time, he texted officials to let them know he wouldn’t be at a 2010 game against Atlanta. When he didn’t show up, the Heat suspended him indefinitely. Later on, he revealed that he’d left the state to be with family. He also said that he was happy with his career, and he knew he’d left “for the right reason.”