Another calendar year is done, and it surely featured a lot of noteworthy moments. As always, the controversial moments tend to stand out and this year it features some of the notable names from the NBA world. Legends like Shaquille O’Neal are often in front of the camera, so one can expect some controversial takes more often than not.

Meanwhile, some icons rarely appear in front of the media can also be part of the list. Just take Michael Jordan, for example. The one who stays away from the limelight ends up being surrounded by controversy, with no direct involvement of their own. There are more such examples. Let’s start with the first one.

Shaquille O’Neal and his lowering-the-rim statement went a little too far

The TNT analyst has been very vocal about the current product of the NBA and the WNBA. So when he appeared on his ‘niece’ Angel Reese’s podcast, the Lakers legend opined, “The only thing that’s missing is the dunk. I’m not saying lower it to 9 feet or anything, just a little bit.” Angel Reese did not like the suggestion one bit, “Just so we can dunk? No. I hate when men say that.” In order to prove his point, Shaquille O’Neal’s next statement caused quite a stir.

“Imagine you had on the same little shorts you had on at ‘Wild ‘n Out’ show dunking. How many T-shirts you gon’ sell?” The 4x NBA Champion reminded the Sky star about her appearance on the comedy show Wild ‘N Out. Obviously, the 22-year-old was visibly upset, “I’m not imagining anything!” Being a mentor and a father figure to Angel Reese, fans did not approve of Shaq’s statement. Similarly, another family member’s wrong habits led to Michael Jordan’s name on this list.

Michael Jordan’s son’s sniffing row

In the month of August, Michael Jordan’s youngest son went on a trip to France. At the time, Marcus Jordan was rumored to be in a relationship with model Ashley Stevenson. However, both of them denied those claims and the latter even issued a statement. “I’m single… Marcus and I are NOT dating and haven’t been.” But that was not what caught the netizens’ eyes.

In one of those photos from the trip, Marcus was pictured with some ‘white powder’. However, there are no official reports on what it really was. To make matters worse for the Bulls icon, his teammate’s ex-wife also joked about it. It was Marcus’ ex-girlfriend Larsa Pippen and her friend’s comment on Instagram. The RHOM star added a post on social media with the caption, “Sipping.” Her friend Porsha Williams commented, “Sipping not sniffing 🌟🔥.” Larsa took the banter to another level, “@porsha4real never that 🥰.” Chicago’s other icon also features.

Dwyane Wade’s iconic statue night turned into a meme fest

D-Wade and his double overtime victory back in 2009, against the Chicago Bulls sparked his celebration. “This is my house!” Fast forward to 2024, in the month of October, the Miami Heat revealed Dwyane Wade’s statue and the pose was a true copy of the celebration. But his face had no resemblance. “They got my goat looking 50 😭,” was one of the comments from the fans, who could not believe what they had seen.

Not just the fans, but even former and current players, expressed their displeasure with the statue makers. Yet, the 3x NBA icon and his wife did not budge even one bit and explained they were happy with the honor. More importantly, Dwyane Wade became the first player in the franchise’s history to receive such an honor. That’s why they were not worried, but it is one of those moments that gave everybody a lot of memes to look back to.

Media right deal and Charles Barkley’s back and forth

In the NBA community, the show that often generates meme-worthy content is none other than Inside the NBA. The current season of the league will be the final year on the TNT network. Obviously people were worried because at the beginning there was zero communication between the fans and even the crew. Reports of TNT missing out on the deal were prevalent, but the executives of the Turner network kept promising they would find a way.

They even appealed on the legal front, but ultimately the 11-year deal went to ESPN/ABC, NBCU, and Amazon Prime Video. The $76 billion deal also meant that Inside the NBA will be moving to ESPN from next season. In the midst of this, Charles Barkley had his fair share of comments and taunts about the TNT executives.

First of all, he announced his retirement, during last season’s play-off games. As we were approaching the beginning of the season, Chuck took back his retirement and even flirted with the idea of producing the show under his company. Later, he suggested that joining a rival network was also a possibility. In the end, he accepted TNT’s offer and signed on the extension. But, has been admitting that he has an exit clause which means he is free to leave without consequences. So which of the above was the most memorable one for you?