The National Basketball Association has faced criticisms and controversies during its existence, ranging from issues of race and culture to team relocations.
Age limit
In 2005, the NBA created a new collective bargaining agreement. One of the main issues was the league's desire to create a new lower age limit for players to enter the NBA draft.
The idea of an age limit had been talked about for years. While several players who entered the league out of high school became successes (Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard, J. R. Smith, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jermaine O'Neal, Rashard Lewis, Tracy McGrady, Shawn Kemp, and Moses Malone), others were relative failures (for example, Ndudi Ebi, James Lang, Kwame Brown, Sebastian Telfair, Eddy Curry, Robert Swift, and DeSagana Diop). Age limit supporters argued that high schoolers had undeveloped fundamental skills and were not mature enough to handle the NBA.
Proponents included Michael Wilbon, who argued that it was important for young players to get an education. Wilbon's belief, while held by many, was also referred to as "simplistic" and "[reflective] not just [of] hypocrisy but a reimagination of reality as well". Michael Mccann of the Mississippi College School of Law made this argument:
Greg Anthony was notably against the age limit. Anthony's belief was that people should be able to make their own decisions about whether or not to enter the league. This led him into conflict with Wilbon and Stephen A. Smith. Anthony and Smith had a heated debate about the prospect. The interview was described as "...Greg Anthony putting words in O'Neal's mouth then saying something along the lines of, 'Is that what you meant?' And then O'Neal would say, 'Exactly.'" This came days after Anthony was the primary interviewer in a discussion with Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal. It came on the heels of O'Neal discussing the age limit in the race context.
O'Neal was attacked for his opinion, with many accusing him of playing the race card."The Real Color of Money: Controlling Black Bodies in the NBA" by David Leonard
Ultimately, an age limit was added to the collective bargaining agreement. The draft admitted only players who were in the calendar year of their 19th birthday, and at least one year out of high school. Since the implementation of these rules, certain players used alternative methods to enter the draft, to the point where some players declare while in high school. Players like Brandon Jennings, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Terrance Ferguson entered the draft while spending a year out overseas (sometimes more as LaMelo Ball did). More recently, players such as Satnam Singh, Thon Maker, and Anfernee Simons entered the draft while high school postgraduates, meaning they played a fifth year of high school basketball for various reasons instead of going to college. Furthermore, both Latavious Williams and Mitchell Robinson entered the draft by joining the NBA Development League (now NBA G League) and skipping college, while Darius Bazley entered after an internship with New Balance for a few months instead.
Altercations Latrell Sprewell In 1997, Latrell Sprewell, during a contentious Golden State Warrior practice, choked head coach P.J. Carlesimo and threatened to kill him. While some wondered if Sprewell's actions were indicative of a trend, others countered that it was an isolated incident. Buck Williams said this on PBS:
Sprewell somewhat redeemed his image after a run to the NBA Finals with the New York Knicks in 1999. However, his image took another hit after a battle with the Minnesota Timberwolves over his salary in 2004.
Pacers–Pistons brawl
After an altercation between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans on November 19, 2004, the NBA came under criticism. Opinions were divided over who should be blamed for the incident. Blame landed on the players, with criticism of NBA Union Chief Billy Hunter, who protested the length of suspensions, the fans who sparked the melee and the referees who did not put a stop to it.
Commentators such as USA Todays Ian O'Connor viewed the incident through a racial lens, writing:
The NBA came under harsh scrutiny from some outlets. Conservative radio personality (and former ESPN NFL analyst) Rush Limbaugh said the brawl was "hip-hop culture on parade" and added that "NBA uniforms are now in gang colors. They are in gang styles." NBA commissioner David Stern, in a 2006 interview, made this comment about the brawl-related criticism:
Knicks–Nuggets brawl
The Knicks–Nuggets brawl came at an NBA game between the New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden on December 16, 2006. This altercation was the most penalized on-court fight since the Pacers–Pistons brawl.
All ten players on the court at the time were ejected, and seven players were later suspended. Carmelo Anthony of the Nuggets was suspended for 15 games, while J. R. Smith and Nate Robinson were suspended for 10 games each. Neither coach was suspended; still, some believed that then-should have been suspended for allegedly telling his players to foul any Nuggets player who attempted a dunk or layup. Stern received criticism for not including Knicks coach Isiah Thomas in the suspensions. Stern's leniency was alleged to reflect a special relationship with Thomas.
Thomas was accused of trying to bring back the mentality of the late 1980s Detroit Pistons, who were known for their physical play. Thomas was seen warning Anthony not to go into the lane. Greg Anthony stated that "I never had a coach say that to an opponent ... I've had a coach say, do a better job protecting our territory. That's a little different."
The fight became a topic on news broadcasts. Several columnists claimed that the NBA had been set back several years, and the league was a haven for thugs.
Knicks guard Steve Francis claimed that the media reaction and the suspensions were "racially motivated". Francis argued that MLB and the NHL had similar fights and rarely faced the type of media attention and scrutiny that the NBA received. Several columnists agreed, including Sam Smith (who called the coverage "racist and nonsense" in a piece), J. A. Adande and David Aldridge.
Conspiracy theories
Big-market bias/Lack of parity Some NBA fans accused the league of conspiring to ensure that large-market teams and popular players make it to the postseason. Every NBA Finals since 1980 has involved at least one of these 10 teams: the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, or San Antonio Spurs. Additionally, in that span, every NBA Finals except for the 2021, 2025 or 2026 Finals has involved at least one of these 12 All-Stars: Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Jimmy Butler, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, or Stephen Curry.
Many of these accusations are based on the premise that the NBA desires large markets and popular players for ratings purposes. Former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson disputed the idea that matchups have the biggest effect on ratings:
This conspiracy increased with the rise of so-called "superteams" in free agency, where star players (free agents or not) "team up" with other players of similar stature on a large-market team in a lucrative location. The term evolved after emerging from James' public free-agent declaration in 2010s The Decision. Notable examples of players leaving a smaller market to either join or create superteam include James (Cleveland to Miami), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City to Golden State), and Paul George (Oklahoma City to LA Clippers). The first two moves drew particular backlash, especially James's due to favorite son status in Ohio. Some speculated that this has caused NBA ratings in the late 2010s to drop due to a lack of narrative surprise in the regular season.
Since the 2019 NBA Finals, however, the league oversaw a lengthy period of parity, as eight different teams won the NBA championship. This span included wins by Canada's lone NBA team in the Toronto Raptors, smaller-market teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder, and teams in bigger markets such as the Lakers, Celtics, Warriors and New York Knicks. 5 other teams have played in the finals during that time, the Heat, Suns, Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, and the Spurs.
Celtics v Lakers
The 1984 NBA Finals was highly anticipated, featuring the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers in their eighth Finals matchup. It featured two of the biggest young stars of the era, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who had previously faced off in the finals of the 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, where Johnson's Michigan State Spartans defeated Bird's Indiana State Sycamores.
Game 6 proved controversial when the Lakers were sent to the foul line on numerous occasions thanks to questionable calls. This led Bird to claim that Commissioner Stern had requested that the game be officiated in the Lakers' favor in hopes of extending the series to a seventh game.
Despite his claim, the Celtics won Game 7. Boston made the next three Finals, losing to the Lakers in 1985 and 1987, and defeating the Houston Rockets in 1986.
Pistons v Lakers
The 1988 NBA Finals was yet another controversial series, with the Detroit Pistons reaching the Finals for the first time ever to play the Los Angeles Lakers. It featured two of the biggest stars, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas.
The Pistons took a 3–2 series lead. With 14 seconds remaining in Game 6 and the Pistons up 102–101, Bill Laimbeer was called for a foul on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The foul was controversial as the replay appeared to show that Laimbeer had never made contact with Abdul-Jabbar. Regardless, Laimbeer fouled out on the call, and Abdul-Jabbar made both free throws to give the Lakers a 103–102 victory. The Lakers won Game 7 108–105, clinching the title. In his 1993 book, The Winner Within, Lakers coach Pat Riley referred to the call as "that phantom skyhook foul."
Bucks v Sixers In 2001, the Milwaukee Bucks played the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The small-market Bucks (who had not been featured on national television that season before the second round of the Playoffs) did not have any celebrity players, except for Ray Allen (who was popular, but not in the upper-echelon in terms of endorsements). Their opponent that year, the 76ers, had the polarizing but popular Allen Iverson, who had endorsements and recognition. The Sixers featured that year's MVP (Iverson), Defensive Player of the Year Dikembe Mutombo, Sixth Man of the Year Aaron McKie, and Coach of the Year Larry Brown. During game 5, numerous major calls favored the 76ers. Allen later voiced the claim that the league preferred the Sixers to be in the Finals as opposed to Milwaukee.
This controversy is largely based on complaints levied by members of the Bucks organization regarding the officiating of the series. Glenn Robinson, Sam Cassell, and then-head coach George Karl joined Allen in complaining about the officiating and hinting that the league was against them. Karl and Allen were both fined. In Game 6, Bucks forward Scott Williams threw an elbow at Iverson and was subsequently suspended for the deciding Game 7. (Iverson had already missed the Bucks' Game 3 win, and been limited in others after being hit by the Bucks earlier in the series.) After the Bucks lost Game 7 on the road, Sports Illustrated columnist Marty Burns insinuated that the suspension may have been a form of payback by the league:
While normally a starter, Williams generally played limited minutes and averaged just over 4 points per game during the portion of the series in which he played. He was suspended because this was his third flagrant foul of the playoffs.