Are these the ugliest fights the NBA has ever seen?

The competitive nature of professional sports can sometimes bring out animosity between players who are trying to accomplish the same thing. Sometimes, this desire to one-up the opponent causes emotions to boil over, and altercations take place as a result. We’ll look back at some of the most memorable fights in NBA history.

It may not be the most memorable fight in basketball history—it’s probably the most recognized altercation in American sports lore. The incident started with a confrontation between Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons players, but would eventually devolve into a fracas involving fans. Ron Artest was the central figure in the on-court and spectator disagreements.

Most people think of Rudy Tomjanovich as the championship-winning head coach of the Houston Rockets. That almost never happened for him, as he was knocked out as a Rockets player by a punch Kermit Washington threw in the 1970’s. It was a scary incident, as Tomjanovich didn’t see the haymaker coming, and the blow could have ended his life.

Carmelo Anthony is one of the most revered players in New York Knicks history, but threw a vicious punch in a game against them in 2006 as a member of the Denver Nuggets. Things got out of hand in a lopsided game, and Anthony connected a punch to Jared Jeffries’ face that could be heard around the arena and on television.

Fans love tuning in to watch Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal joke around with each other during TNT’s coverage of the NBA. They didn’t always get along so well though, especially on one night in 1999. Barkley threw the ball at Shaq’s head, and the two large players tussled as their teammates also got into the fray.

Most NBA fist-to-cuffs involve players, but in rare cases, coaches can also be involved. That was the case during a fight between Alonzo Mourning of the Miami Heat and Larry Johnson of the New York Knicks. Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy grabbed on to Mourning’s leg during the fracas, and was dragged around like a rag doll.

The Knicks and Heat had a few memorable fights in the 1990’s, with another one involving Heat forward P.J. Brown and Knicks guard Charlie Ward. After a free throw attempt, Brown picked Ward up and flipped him into the camera area, which started a huge fight that led to many key players being suspended.

Kobe Bryant and Reggie Miller were two of the most cold-blooded players in NBA history, who wanted to win at any cost. They had somewhat of a strange altercation at the end of a regular season game, where everyone was winding down and looking to head into the locker room. Bryant and Miller had other ideas, as they let off some steam once the horn sounded.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics vied for Eastern Conference supremacy in the early 1980’s, which led to tensions running high between Julius Erving and Larry Bird. In 1984, the intensity reached a fever pitch, as the two stars tried to put their hands on one other, with their extremities making contact with one another’s necks.

There was a long list of players in the 1980’s who didn’t care for Laimbeer, who was viewed as a player who would take cheap shots at guys coming into the lane. There are a number of events that Laimbeer was involved in, as players felt like they needed to stand up to him during these moments. The Pistons’ center really never changed his approach, though.

In what ended up being a cross between baseball and basketball, Phoenix Suns guard Danny Ainge threw a basketball at Mario Elie’s face, pitcher style. Elie was not standing far from Ainge, and his face took a wicked shot. It was clear that Ainge did this on purpose, and the two would come together after the surprising turn of events.

Back in the day, teams were focused on not giving up easy layups, and were willing to take measures to deter players from feeling comfortable on drives to the hoop. Lakers forward Kurt Rambis was removed from the air by Celtics forward Kevin McHale’s clothesline. It was an iconic play that reinforced the stakes during the 1984 NBA Finals.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is one of the most composed players in basketball history, but was agitated in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reserve guard Semaj Christon and Curry came to shoving blows before a jump ball, which came as a surprise to everyone. This might have been the most memorable moment of Christon’s career.

Things usually ratchet up during the course of the regular season, but the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers closed their fists during the preseason one year. Kings guard Doug Christie punched Los Angeles forward Rick Fox in the chin. The two would be ejected from the game, and continued their fight in the tunnel of the arena.

Even without Michael Jordan, who left the NBA to play baseball in 1994, the Knicks and Bulls still had a fierce rivalry. Bulls guard JoJo White and Knicks guard Derek Harper got into it away from the play, and their melee spilled over into the stands. Players from both sides jumped in to defend their teammates, and it took several minutes for cooler heads to prevail.

Fights don’t usually take place with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, but Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo got into it during a one-point Rockets-Lakers game. Paul said that Rondo spit on him, which was the reason punches started to be thrown. Both players had a strong dislike for one another, and the fight only made matters worse.