Image via Complex Original
Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis turned 37 yesterday and today, respectively. In their honor we've decided to make a list based on their tendencies. You ever play with a guy at your local playground that would never pass? Those guys want all the glory. Game point? He's taking the shot, no matter how many people are on him. If the players mentioned here weren't pros, they would be at the Y never passing the ball. Hall of Famers like Pistol Pete and Allen Iverson have been called ball hogs their entire career. Kobe gets labeled a hog while his idol, MJ, never has to deal with that. Guys like Ricky Davis and Marbury were black-balled out of the L because of their selfish ways. So as you reminisce about Starbury's and the Franchise's Knicks years as teammates, check out the Biggest Ball Hogs in NBA History.
20. Russell Westbrook
Career: (2008-Present)
Team(s): Thunder
Stats: 20.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 6.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career FGA: 6,894
Career FG Pct: 43.2
Accolades: 3x NBA All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are undeniably one of the most lethal tandems in the NBA today. Much of that has to do with the fact that Durant has led the league in points per game while shooting a career 47.9 percent from the field. This allows Westbrook the freedom to put up nearly as many shots as KD, even though everyone knows who's the better player. For his career, Russ averages 20 points per game, which is solid, but those numbers are the result of 16.5 shots per game. Westbrook has been and will always be a high volume shooter, a.k.a. a ball hog, who has only shot above 45 percent in a season once. Somehow, though, this thing works so don't expect Russ to change his tendencies anytime soon.
19. Charles Barkley
Career: (1984-2000)
Team(s): 76ers, Suns, Rockets
Stats: 22.1 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Career FGA: 15,605
Career FG Pct: 54.1
Accolades: NBA MVP (1993), 11x NBA All-Star, 11x All-NBA Team
Chuck is the best, always has been, but he was as selfish as they came. Granted he played with a lot of bums before he was dealt to Phoenix in 1992 and his career numbers are stacked, but he was always out for self until he went ring chasing in Houston. He could never stay out of trouble on or off the court and didn't make teammates better. So he was a distraction as well as a ball hog, not a productive combination.
18. Bob McAdoo
Career: (1972-1986)
Team(s): Buffalo Braves, Knicks, Celtics, Nets, Lakers, 76ers
Stats: 22.1 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.0 SPG, 1.5 BPG
Career FGA: 14,751
Career FG Pct: 50.3
Accolades: 2x NBA Champion, NBA MVP (1975), 5x NBA All-Star
During his early years with the Buffalo Braves and the New York Knicks, Bob McAdoo was a straight chucker. Even though he earned five straight All-Star selections and was awarded NBA MVP in 1975, McAdoo was receiving all these accolades while sporting some extreme ball-hogging habits, taking 22.6 shots per game. Once McAdoo received the ball, no one was going to touch the rock again for the rest of the possession. However, when he joined the Lakers with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1981, McAdoo learned to fall back and accept his new role with the team. As a result, McAdoo won two championships in his four seasons with L.A.
17. World B. Free
Career: (1975-1988)
Team(s): 76ers, San Diego Clippers, Warriors, Cavaliers, Rockets
Stats: 20.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career FGA: 14,294
Career FG Pct: 45.6
Accolades: NBA All-Star (1980)
World B. Free never met a shot he didn't like. Look, All-World was definitely talented. No doubt. But his numbers are a bit skewed for someone who shot the ball so damn often. In the best season of his career, 1979-80 with the San Diego Clippers, Free averaged 30.2 points per game. Not bad, right? Now, what if we told you that he posted those numbers on 22.9 shots per game? And that's with dude knocking down an average of 8.4 free throws per game.
Some people may throw around the notion that All-World was simply being offensively aggressive during his years as the No. 1 option on the team, but when your stats don't add up to championships or anything remotely close, you should've implemented a new game plan, like, maybe, getting your teammates involved.
16. Jamal Crawford
Career: (2000-Present)
Team(s): Bulls, Knicks, Warriors, Hawks, Trail Blazers, Clippers
Stats: 15.6 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career FGA: 12,450
Career FG Pct: 41.1
Accolades: NBA Sixth Man of The Year (2010)
Jamal still looks the same as he did his rookie year. He's been in the league 14 seasons and his game hasn't changed much either. Early in his career he ran point for Chicago but he was a scorer at heart rather than a facilitator. His job has always been to come in and score. JCrossover is also very clutch, so folks don't give him shit for having a career 41 percent field goal percentage. He's one of the few ball hogs that don't make us angry.
15. Kobe Bryant
Career: (1996-Present)
Team(s): Lakers
Stats: 25.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.5 SPG
Career FGA: 24,374
Career FG Pct: 45.4
Accolades: 5x NBA Champion, NBA MVP (2008), 2x Finals MVP, 16x NBA All-Star
Five rings, one MVP, averages nearly five assists for his career, still a ball hog. Remember that playoff game that he blew because Phil Jackson wanted him to stop hogging the ball? Kobe's confidence is what makes him great, it's also what makes him a hog. His father, MJ, isn't on this list because he wasn't as selfish and finished his career shooting very close to 50 percent from the field (49%.) Kobe would rather die on his sword than pass the game-winning opportunity to either John Paxson or Steve Kerr.
14. Stephen Jackson
Career: (2001-Present)
Team(s): Nets, Spurs, Hawks, Pacers, Warriors, Bobcats, Bucks, Clippers
Stats: 15.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
Career FGA: 11,112
Career FG Pct: 41.4
Accolades: NBA Champion (2003)
There's a reason why he's out of the league. No one wants a jock with a bad attitude. Captain Jack loves nothing more than to shoot a trey and throw up the threes. Jackson has made a career of complaining about not getting touches as if he were MJ or somebody. We love his passion for the game, we just wish he would keep his ego in check to help a contender off the bench.
13. Monta Ellis
Career: (2005-Present)
Team(s): Warriors, Bucks, Mavericks
Stats: 19.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career FGA: 9,324
Career FG Pct: 45.6
Accolades: NBA Most-Improved Player (2007)
To be fair, Monta is balling this year. The Mavs are sitting at 32-23 and his a big part of it. He's not having his best year but maybe it's because he's playing alongside a bonafide star like Dirk. Ellis has a rep for dominating the ball and shooting whenever he feels like it. That's held some of his Warriors teams back, but it looks like he's finally learning how not to take every shot.
12. J.R. Smith
Career: (2004-Present)
Team(s): Hornets, Nuggets, Knicks
Stats: 13.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Career FGA: 7,401
Career FG Pct: 42.3
Accolades: NBA Sixth Man of The Year (2013)
J.R. made strides last year. He had his best season, helped the Knicks win 54 games and reach the second round of the playoffs. However, Swish is having his worst season shooting wise (38 percent from the field) and it reflects the Knicks' record of 20-33. Maybe its the knee surgery he underwent during the offseason or maybe its the bottle service at Greenhouse, who knows? Either way, he takes dumb shots and has been doing it his entire career.
Case in point: the three he took against the Rockets a few weeks after he got mad at Andrea Bargnani for doing the same. The Knicks should've never let Chris Smith go.
11. Rudy Gay
Career: (2006-Present)
Team(s): Grizzlies, Raptors, Kings
Stats: 18.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
Career FGA: 8,621
Career FG Pct: 45.0
Accolades: NBA All-Rookie First Team (2007)
Rudy Gay is an anomaly. His stats are meaningless. The Grizzlies are better without him and the Kings still suck with him. His max contract says otherwise, but that could be said about a lot of guys. He's a chucker of the highest order and a very inconsistent one at that. We really can't wrap our brains around why he's not an All-Star by now.
10. Al Harrington
Career: (1998-Present)
Team(s): Pacers, Hawks, Warriors, Knicks, Nuggets, Magic, Wizards
Stats: 13.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.9 SPG
Career FGA: 11,163
Career FG Pct: 44.5
Accolades: N/A
Al is a poor man's Melo. He can shoot the three, the mid-range, post-up, not pass, etc. Harrington has always had all-star talent but for whatever reason chose to take bad shots for the majority of his career. If he touches the ball, nine times out of 10 he's going to shoot it.
9. Pete Maravich
Career: (1970-1980)
Team(s): Hawks, Jazz, Celtics
Stats: 24.2 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.3 BPG
Career FGA: 14,025
Career FG Pct: 44.1
Accolades: 5x NBA All-Star, 4x All-NBA Team, NBA Scoring Champion (1977)
Pistol was flashy and fun to watch. He also liked having the ball. The one knock on him was that he didn't make his teammates better. Was it because he was ahead of his time or was it because he just liked to shine? We think it was the latter. Maravich made a career of acrobatic handles and magical passes, but he only dished out fives dimes a game and turned the ball over a lot. For most of his Hall of Fame career he was considered to be a ball hog who couldn't win.
8. Allen Iverson
Career: (1996-2010)
Team(s): 76ers, Nuggets, Pistons, Grizzlies
Stats: 26.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 6.2 APG, 2.2 SPG
Career FGA: 19,906
Career FG Pct: 42.5
Accolades: 11x All-Star, NBA MVP (2001), 6x All-NBA Team, 4x Scoring Champion
A.I. could've had help in the form of a young Tim Thomas, a young Larry Hughes, and a young Jerry Stackhouse but none of those guys wanted to play with him. He has a 42 percent field goal percentage for his career and only shot better than 44 percent once. He did retire with six assists per game but that's because he had the ball in his hands all the damn time. And when his quickness left him, he became a jump shooter, a very inconsistent one at that.
7. Carmelo Anthony
Career: (2003-Present)
Team(s): Nuggets, Knicks
Stats: 25.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.1 SPG
Career FGA: 15,003
Career FG Pct: 45.5
Accolades: 7x All-Star, 6x All-NBA Team, NBA Scoring Champion (2013)
When Melo gets the ball on the wing or in the post, forget about it. He's been doing his thing this season, trying to carry the load for an trash Knicks team, but this is an issue that has followed him his entire career. It's not necessarily his fault that he's never played with a viable second star, unless you count aging guys like Iverson and Billups. He just takes bad shots. Melo is a guy that suffers from too much confidence. Shooter shoot, right?
6. Glenn Robinson
Career: (1994-2005)
Team(s): Bucks, Hawks, 76ers, Spurs
Stats: 20.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.2 SPG
Career FGA: 12,129
Career FG Pct: 45.9
Accolades: NBA Champion (2005), 2x NBA All-Star
The Big Dog Glenn Robinson was a scoring machine, he was also a black hole. He never averaged more than 3.6 assists per game, and he did that only once. The Bucks teams he played on alongside Sam Cassell and Ray Allen left little to be desired in terms of defense. Robinson and Melo had similar games in terms of posting up and being money from mid-range—Anthony shoots better from three, though and has been more effective. He was in the league for only 10 seasons but he has a ring as a vital role player for the 2005 Spurs.
5. Antoine Walker
Career: (1996-2012)
Team(s): Celtics, Mavericks, Hawks, Heat, Timberwolves
Stats: 17.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 3.5 APG, 1.2 SPG
Career FGA: 14,710
Career FG Pct: 41.4
Accolades: NBA Champion (2006), 3x All-Star
'Toine never met a shot he wouldn't take. He won a championship with Miami late in his career and played on some decent Boston and Dallas teams, but still. Regardless of his success, Walker was a ball hog's ball hog. Standing at 6'8", 224 lbs., Walker refused to post up. He preferred bringing the ball up and chucking up jumpers from the parking lot.
4. Steve Francis
Career: (1999-2008)
Team(s): Rockets, Magic, Knicks
Stats: 18.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.5 SPG
Career FGA: 8,267
Career FG Pct: 42.9
Accolades: 3x NBA All-Star, NBA Rookie of The year (2000)
Steve Francis was in heaven when he and Cuttino Mobley were running wild in Houston, then Jeff Van Gundy and Yao Ming came to town. Once Van Gundy became the Rockets coach in Francis' fourth year, he ran the offense through Ming. Stevie Franchise wasn't feeling that so he got himself traded to Orlando in exchange for Tracy McGrady. Francise is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard's body and can jump out of the gym. We guess that gave him supreme confidence because he never liked to give the ball up.
He averaged six dimes for his career by default because he played point for most of his career. And when he and Marbury were in the same backcourt? Forget about it. No one else was allowed to shoot.
3. Gilbert Arenas
Career: (2001-Present)
Team(s): Warriors, Wizards, Magic, Grizzlies,
Stats: 20.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.6 SPG
Career FGA: 8,850
Career FG Pct: 42.1
Accolades: 3x NBA All-Star, 3x All-NBA Team
"Hibachi!" Remember that nickname? We have no idea why teams insisted Agent 0 play point guard. All that meant was that he was going to take a shot every time he crossed halfcourt. And once his knee went, so did his game. The only way he ever contributed to a team was by taking bad shots that turned into extra possesions.
2. Stephon Marbury
Career: (1996-2009)
Team(s): Timberwolves, Nets, Suns, Knicks, Celtics
Stats: 19.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 7.6 APG, 1.2 SPG
Career FGA: 13,324
Career FG Pct: 43.3
Accolades: 2x NBA All-Star, 2x All-NBA Team
Starbury could've ended his career as the second player to average 20 points and eight assists. The first? Oscar Robertson. However, the last couple seasons of no burn hurt his stats. The writing was on the wall once he forced his way out of Minnesota because of jealousy after Kevin Garnett signed a monster deal. He then proceeded to be the best point guard nobody wanted. And when he finally got a chance to play for his hometown Knicks, he imploded. Marbury went to court for smashing interns and almost fought Isiah Thomas on a team plane. He now has a statue in his honor in China. Life is weird.
1. Ricky Davis
Career: (1999-2010)
Team(s): Hornets, Heat, Cavaliers, Celtics, Timberwolves, Clippers
Stats: 13.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG
Career FGA: 8,410
Career FG Pct: 44.6
Accolades: N/A
While playing with the Cavs early in his career, Ricky Davis was the main guy on the team. But when Davis was forced to share or give up the spotlight altogether for superstars, like Paul Pierce, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett, he had a hard time letting go. Ricky's athleticism made him a dynamic talent off the dribble and around the basket, however, his hunger to rack up points, chuck up shots and refusal to play the part of the role player became his downfall. Eventually, teams didn't want a ball hog with an attitude problem on their roster, which would explain why Davis' playing days in the NBA came to an end at the age of 30.