Biggest ballhog in NBA history

[deja vu]

In your opinion, who is the biggest and most selfish ballhog in NBA history?

[Bandito]

Lebron James

[pudman13]

Based on dominating the ball and doing so inefficiently, I have to pick Iverson and his career .425 FG%.

[I<3NBA]

Kome "rapist" Chuckbe Cryant

[FreezingTsmoove]

Lebron tbh

[Round Mound]

Allen Iverson. There have Been Many Ballhoggs But The Least Efficient Of Them Was Allen Iverson.

[f0und]

kobe and ai.

[East_Stone_Ya]

MJ

[dr.hee]

Great thread. MJ stans gonna say Kobe and vice versa. Same with Melo and Lebron.

:applause:

[sportjames23]

InB4--


MJ


Fvck you, bitch. :D

[Spaulding]

Kobe over Bron.

Bron doesn't even ball hog. Was Magic a ball hog?

[kshutts1]

Biggest? Probably Shaq.

Most selfish? Kobe's my favorite current player, but he's gotta be the one I nominate. It's not that he's not longer capable of huge scoring outbursts, but with all of his "basketball IQ" he should be smart enough to realize that his scoring 30+ points has not been the best recipe for winning the past couple years, and particularly last year. I'm sure other people have some solid examples, but I can't think of any other player that's ever more or less ignored the quality of offensive talent on his team like Kobe did last year, and to a lesser extent the last couple years before that.

[magic chiongson]

john stockton, jason kidd, & magic johnson

[SilkkTheShocker]

Iverson, Kobe, and Pistol Pete are the Big 3

[ReturnofJPR]

It has to be Allen Iverson.

[Chaddai]

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1233589/ip7tCn1KGSMPH.gif

[Harison]

Career - probably AI.

Currently active - KoME, but last Playoffs Melo takes the cake :lol

[kshutts1]

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1233589/ip7tCn1KGSMPH.gif
One of the best .gifs on here. :applause:

[Fresh Kid]

Im sorry to say this but the answer is Lebron James:confusedshrug:

[Jailblazers7]

Didn't kblaze kind of cover this in his "**** it" players list thread? From what I remember, Rick Barry is #1.

[branslowski]

Kobe, Jordan, LeBron, and Iverson. (ballhog- A player hogging the ball for most of the shotclock, thats LeBron...Doesn't matter if he gets a stat pad assist after holding the ball for 22 seconds, It's still hogging.)

[demons2005]

It's got to be Chris Paul. He has stunted all of the players he play with (see Griffin) by never giving up the ball unless he can get assist. If we measured ballhog by % of time with possession he is by far the #1.

[Owl]

Kobe, Jordan, LeBron, and Iverson. (ballhog- A player hogging the ball for most of the shotclock, thats LeBron...Doesn't matter if he gets a stat pad assist after holding the ball for 22 seconds, It's still hogging.)
Not that I'd disagree with LeBron having been ball dominant (especially in Cleveland) but it's hard to get "stat pad assist" if you don't deliver the ball accurately to someone with a reasonable chance of making a basket. Otherwise you're risking a turnover (and easy opponent score, substantial criticism) for nothing.

[Flash31]

Kobe or AI
Period.

Last Year Kobe at 35 with Nash,Gasol,Howard
still had one of the top 5 usage rates in the league and took the
2nd most amount of shots

Thres a reason people say Kobe Ball or AI style
even playing on the street,people have seen others play like Kobe or AI,

rarely if ever pass,shoot over 2-3 people,always have the ball,shoot more than anybody else

If you compare whole careers,
AI and Kobe have both one of the highest usage rates in history and
total the only person that comes close is Jordan,

though on the other hand Carmelo Anthony is trying to DEMOLISH THAT Record,
HE had just 4 ASSISTS IN His Last Playoff Series,the WHOLE Series,4 ASSISTS.

[(e)]

AI. But damn he was fun to watch.

[WolfGang]

Michael Jordan. He started all this shit.

[daily]

Ball hog? Not sure how you determine or define this.

Jordan has the highest career usage at 33.2% followed by Wade, Iverson, Kobe and Lebron

[Crystallas]

http://wannadunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Steve-Francis-Dunk.jpg

He's pointing at all of the fools that said anyone but him.

[NumberSix]

Probably Jordan. He somehow managed to take as many shots in like 13 seasons as Kobe's chucking ass took in 17 seasons. Highest usage. Obvi.

[crisoner]

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1233589/ip7tCn1KGSMPH.gif

:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:

[crisoner]

Ball hog? Not sure how you determine or define this.

Jordan has the highest career usage at 33.2% followed by Wade, Iverson, Kobe and Lebron

THIS

[alexd]

To be ballhog you must never pass and not be efficient.that reminds kobe ai and usually sg/sf players.but you can t blame guys like jordan lbj for hogging the ball.who you prefer have the ball in his hands lbj or boobie gobson?with that in mind i think kobe is since he played with shaq pau etc who can score.unlike 76ers ai didn t have much scoring options beside him

[riseagainst]

for some reason, kids associate the word ballhog with shooting. Taking alot of shots isn't the same thing as being a ballhog.

[LEFT4DEAD]

Its hard to determine it without an eye-test, but if Im about to describe it in theory, I would say its something like usage : apg (or usage : assist-turnover ratio maybe), and higher result means bigger ballhog and vice versa.

[crisoner]

If I had Jordan, Wade, Kobe, Iverson, and LeBron on my teams I'd want them having the ball all the time. So ballhogging in that sense is a good thing.

[crisoner]

To be ballhog you must never pass and not be efficient.that reminds kobe ai and usually sg/sf players.but you can t blame guys like jordan lbj for hogging the ball.who you prefer have the ball in his hands lbj or boobie gobson?with that in mind i think kobe is since he played with shaq pau etc who can score.unlike 76ers ai didn t have much scoring options beside him

Again check the stats back then Shaq had the ball plenty. He was the first option kids to your homework before you make up crap and feed in to the ignorance.

Iverson was a scorer who can create his own shot. And he was damn good at doing it. Same with Prime Kobe. You have those guys in their primes you want them handling and shooting because that is their game and it WON games for both.

[Kblaze8855]

Big difference between being a ballhog and you dribbling into a shot...being the desired outcome of a play. AI played when isolation basketball was major. When Riley and JVG types were slowing the game down and being happy with 84-78 point defensive struggles where they took away every option by packing the lane and playing the angles to prevent drives. So you had to attack one on one.

It wasnt the 80s with free flowing running or the post zone space the floor with 3 shooters ball of today. AI when he played with Snow at his best was largely an off the ball scorer and whe nhe became a point he dribbled into his shots.

But it wasnt ballhogging to me. It was running the offense. Why I dont consider Stockton, nash, and KJ types who dribbled more than anyone ballhogs. If the offense demands you control the ball you arent a ballhog.

And shooting too much isnt being a ballhog either.

Steve Francis....Jamal Crawford on the Bulls....they would break off plays with time on the shot clock and go one on one.

That is ball hogging.

AI taking 27 shots when Larry Brown has him in 60 plays with the primary goal to be him getting a shot off a screen or catching his man on an island to punish him...

Not ball hogging.

A ball hog has to break the offense not have the ball as a desired outcome of it.

A chucker shoots too much....many of those shots ill advised.

Which is why id say...Baron Davis late in his Hornets run....chucker...not a ball hog.

Steve Francis...ballhog...not a chucker.

Kobe takes ill advised shots for normal players. But he makes them at a solid rate. So im not sure hes either.

[fpliii]

It's got to be Chris Paul. He has stunted all of the players he play with (see Griffin) by never giving up the ball unless he can get assist. If we measured ballhog by % of time with possession he is by far the #1.

lol

[buddha]

You people know Iverson is only 6'1 right? LeBron is 6'8 so it's gotta be him.

[pauk]

A ballhog is a detrimental term... what guys like Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, Magic or most other point-guards etc. did was the opposite to being detrimental.... they dominated the ball because they were begged to, it was their strategy, role... they were able to be the most accountable for points on the boxscore whether it was creating for themselves or for others or both...

A guy once said "There is no i in team, but there is i in win"...

[OJ SIMPSON 2.0]

Lebron. He's a passerhog who stat pads.

[michaelray]

Kobe Bean Bryant

Greatest Ballhogger of All Time

[Young X]

So many idiots in this thread.

Ball-hogs are ball dominant players who don't trust their teammates. Just because a guy shoots alot doesn't mean he's a ball hog. Kevin Durant is not a ball hog. Melo is a ball hog.

Usage pct = how many possessions a player uses when he's on the floor, not how long he has the ball in his hands.

Jordan was not a ball dominant player at all, he was mostly an off ball player for his whole career. If you're gonna label a player like Jordan something negative you should call him a chucker, not a ball hog. (Neither are true)

[Haks]

Lebron is the greatest ballhog ever. Give Lebron the ball and he'll carry scrubs to the final

[Deuce Bigalow]

59-60: 32.1 FGA / 2.3 APG
60-61: 31.1 FGA / 1.9 APG (Swept in the first round by 38-41 Nationals, averaged 32.0 FGA / 2.0 APG)
61-62: 39.5 FGA / 2.4 APG
62-63: 34.6 FGA / 3.4 APG (31-49, missed playoffs)

Guess who?

[Haks]

59-60: 32.1 FGA / 2.3 APG
60-61: 31.1 FGA / 1.9 APG (Swept in the first round by 38-41 Nationals, averaged 32.0 FGA / 2.0 APG)
61-62: 39.5 FGA / 2.4 APG
62-63: 34.6 FGA / 3.4 APG (31-49, missed playoffs)

Guess who?
BBBUT HE FACED BILL RUSSELL's Celtics lmao

[fos]

Is this a joke?? Easily Allen Iverson.

[magnax1]

Guy who used the ball the most in his prime is probably Hakeem, or maybe one of the all time great PGs. Cleveland Lebron is up there too. Not necessarily the worst thing in the world though.
Who was the most selfish? Kind of depends on how you define selfish. AI, Wilt, Jordan and Kobe were probably the most "shoot first" players in NBA history, but they weren't negatively affecting their teams, and they all averaged 5+ assists at some point. Gervin might be the worst in terms of a top 10 NBA player who just didnt know how to and didnt try to pass.

[The Choken One]

Bill Russelll?

IDK.. I give up.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=QrRksZe25io&t=454
15 year old confirmed. People been posting this for a long time:

Bill never missed the playoffs.

So, do you really think that's Russell?

[KyleKong]

Michael Jordan was the biggest ball hog, how are people arguing against that?

It's not a insult to Jordan, because he had a reason to be a ball hog.

[TheAnchorman]

There are some underrated ballhogs from the 70s... Bob McAdoo, George McGinnis, George Gervin to name a few. McGinnis has the record for the most turnovers averaged in a year.

Those guys were content with putting up 25-30 pts, an assist here or there if they felt like it then take their paycheck, go home and snort lines from benjamins. if that's not ballhogging I don't know what is.

[Dengness9]

a lot of good ones mentioned, and of course the Answer.


But I'd like to throw Carmelo up there near the top the way things are going for him. Didn't even average 3 apg last season. Any player with as much talent as he has, plus the amount of time the ball is in hands....has to do better at making his teammates better.

He averaged less than 2 apg in 12 playoff games in 2013.

Modern day Dom Wilkins..... check the career stats.... kinda creeps me out actually....

Melo 25.0/6.4/3.1 on .456 with 3.0 tpg
Dom 24.8/6.7/2.5 on .461 with 2.5 tpg

[La Frescobaldi]

There are some underrated ballhogs from the 70s... Bob McAdoo, George McGinnis, George Gervin to name a few. McGinnis has the record for the most turnovers averaged in a year.

Those guys were content with putting up 25-30 pts, an assist here or there if they felt like it then take their paycheck, go home and snort lines from benjamins. if that's not ballhogging I don't know what is.
Those are some real hog names for sure (at times although not always) but the biggest offense destroying oinker of that time has got to be Elvin Hayes.
I always thought E was the most selfish team killer ever but he has strong current competition.
Look at what happened to Linsanity Knicks - totally destroyed by a guy who literally sat the bench until his coach got fired & Lin got forced out. Global sensation shut clear off dead like a ice douche.
Truly Hayes-worthy, arguably worse.
Even George Karl can't find anything nice to say.

[Straight_Ballin]

Is this a joke?? Easily Allen Iverson.

Yes, but when a 6'1 165 lb guy wins MVP, what does that tell you about the league that year?

[livingby3's]

Big difference between being a ballhog and you dribbling into a shot...being the desired outcome of a play. AI played when isolation basketball was major. When Riley and JVG types were slowing the game down and being happy with 84-78 point defensive struggles where they took away every option by packing the lane and playing the angles to prevent drives. So you had to attack one on one.

It wasnt the 80s with free flowing running or the post zone space the floor with 3 shooters ball of today. AI when he played with Snow at his best was largely an off the ball scorer and whe nhe became a point he dribbled into his shots.

But it wasnt ballhogging to me. It was running the offense. Why I dont consider Stockton, nash, and KJ types who dribbled more than anyone ballhogs. If the offense demands you control the ball you arent a ballhog.

And shooting too much isnt being a ballhog either.

Steve Francis....Jamal Crawford on the Bulls....they would break off plays with time on the shot clock and go one on one.

That is ball hogging.

AI taking 27 shots when Larry Brown has him in 60 plays with the primary goal to be him getting a shot off a screen or catching his man on an island to punish him...

Not ball hogging.

A ball hog has to break the offense not have the ball as a desired outcome of it.

A chucker shoots too much....many of those shots ill advised.

Which is why id say...Baron Davis late in his Hornets run....chucker...not a ball hog.

Steve Francis...ballhog...not a chucker.

Kobe takes ill advised shots for normal players. But he makes them at a solid rate. So im not sure hes either.

QFT.

A fairly good post with explanations like this one getting overlooked, while the trolls are getting all the attentions they want.

[EllEffEll]

There are some underrated ballhogs from the 70s... Bob McAdoo, George McGinnis, George Gervin to name a few. McGinnis has the record for the most turnovers averaged in a year.

Those guys were content with putting up 25-30 pts, an assist here or there if they felt like it then take their paycheck, go home and snort lines from benjamins. if that's not ballhogging I don't know what is.

I would suggest that World B. Free get at least an honorable mention.

[lucky001]

Stevie Franchise with his 20 second And1 impersonation/ waving off a yao screen. He was a dribbling fool.

[Eric Cartman]

Kobe Bryant when he was on those teams with Smush and Luke Walton. Of course in that case being a ballhog wasn't such a bad thing. Same with Wade in the pre dynamic duo era.

[Trentknicks]

a lot of good ones mentioned, and of course the Answer.


But I'd like to throw Carmelo up there near the top the way things are going for him. Didn't even average 3 apg last season. Any player with as much talent as he has, plus the amount of time the ball is in hands....has to do better at making his teammates better.

He averaged less than 2 apg in 12 playoff games in 2013.

Modern day Dom Wilkins..... check the career stats.... kinda creeps me out actually....

Melo 25.0/6.4/3.1 on .456 with 3.0 tpg
Dom 24.8/6.7/2.5 on .461 with 2.5 tpg
Just goes to show how little (if at all) you watched the Knicks last year. Amare was injured most of the year, Shumpert didn't come back till late and it's since emerged that JR played through injuries last season. There's a big difference between putting the team on your back/carrying the load and ball hogging. He had no second option.

JR completely broke down in the playoffs. Who was Melo meant to pass it to on offense, Tyson Chandler? I agree he certainly had a high usage rate, but that was through necessity not choice.

[The-Legend-24]

Melo.

[Nashty]

Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson.

[pudman13]

for some reason, kids associate the word ballhog with shooting. Taking alot of shots isn't the same thing as being a ballhog.

That's right; it's only part of it. It's also why Iverson still qualifies. One of the criticisms his teammates had of him: "he dribbles too much." It also explains why Kobe's such a ball hog. I can't think of anyone who spends more time (and wastes more of the shot clock) setting up isolation plays.

[Magic 32]

Kobe or AI
Period.

Last Year Kobe at 35 with Nash,Gasol,Howard
still had one of the top 5 usage rates in the league and took the
2nd most amount of shots



It's amazing how one of Kobe's greatest achievements (last year's play) have been twisted into a talking point for the haters. :facepalm