The NBA, like any major professional sports league, naturally encourages hero-worship of its players. Some players are akin to superheroes in the eyes of many, doing what mortal men simply can't and leading their teams (and extensive fanbases) to glory. However, the league wouldn't be quite the same without its share of rule-breakers. Cheating will exist as long as sporting competition does too, and even with a legion of television cameras dotted around each of the league's arenas, players will still attempt to con, harm, and foul their way to an unfair advantage. Compellingly, often these heroes and villains are the same people. Nobody is without a dark side, and even some of the NBA's most beloved players utilised nefarious tactics now and then. Of course there's a huge difference between getting a little too physical now and again, and committing some of the following crimes on this list with such regularity and severity. It's safe to say that each man on this list was a serial offender, even those who are often held up as ultimate examples of the American sporting dream. Here are the ten biggest cheats in NBA history, including one or two of the most iconic figures the league has ever seen (and a good deal of pantomime villains to boot).
