By Jason Watson (@LakerUnfiltered)
What is a true villain? Webster’s Dictionary defines a villain as: a character in a story or play who opposes the hero; a deliberate scoundrel or criminal; and one blamed for a particular evil or difficulty.
Now that we understand what it is, let’s dive deeper. To be an NBA villain, you’ve got to be a superstar in the league.
So right away that eliminates enforcers like Patrick Beverley and Jae Crowder. They may be dirty players, but by no means a true NBA villain.
I made it my mission to name the top-5 NBA villains in the league today. Let me first say honorable mention goes to Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, and Já Morant. They are all superstars in their own right but do not have the same level of villainous as these next five players.
5.) LeBron James
For as long as King James is in the league, opposing fan bases will always love to hate him. If it’s not some lady in Atlanta, it’s the rest of the NBA fan base rejoicing when he loses in the first round.
James will come into an opposing arena and suck the life out of it with just one dunk, one shot, or one assist.
4.) Devin Booker
With this being his first appearance in the playoffs, the rest of the world is finding out what true NBA fans already know: Book is a stone-cold killer, especially on the road. Something he learned from his mentor, Kobe Bryant, was to ‘Be Legendary’ which was the exact words Bryant used when he autographed a pair of his game-worn sneakers for Booker in Kobe’s last game against the Suns in 2016.
He’s doing just that in this year’s playoffs. He dropped 47 points in a closeout game in LA all while letting everyone know about it. It doesn’t get much more villainous than that. He’s sure to move up this list if he keeps up these types of performances.
3.) Joel Embiid
Can you find another player in the league that enjoys the trash talk more than Embiid? If he’s not on social media talking trash to opposing players and fans, he’s “crotch-chopping” after a made basket.
Once Embiid realizes his full dominant potential, he’s for sure a future number one candidate for the league’s top villain.
2.) Kevin Durant
Whether he’s trolling fans on one of many burner accounts, or he’s just giving your best player that work, no one wants to see KD come to their arena. Durant is polarizing to say the very least.
He left OKC and was hated. He then left the juggernaut Warriors and was hated. Now he resides with a couple of new villains in James Harden & Kyrie Irving.
Durant is someone whom fans fear, and prays that he doesn’t catch fire, because it’s for sure going to be a long quiet night and will be likely taking that “L” home with them.
1.) Trae Young
He was the inspiration for this article, so he has to be ranked number one. Young just invokes memories of Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller. He may just be the biggest trash talker in the NBA today. Who would’ve known?
He’s been putting up big numbers on a bad team. All of that changed this year. Young got his shot on the NBA’s biggest stage Madison Square Garden. Ice Trae bowed to the New York faithful in the closeout game. He topped that when he went into what is likely the most hostile, unforgiving crowd in the league in Philadelphia and put on a show in the Hawks’ Game 1 win. Young has Atlanta in good position to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.
