Classiest players in the league:

[sook]

Grant Hill
Deron Williams
Shane Battier
Derrick Fisher

[resistanze]

Ron Artest

[sribb43]

JJ Barea

[Allanon]

Yao Ming
Dwight Howard
Caron Butler

[Findog]

Yao Ming
Dirk Nowitzki
Chris Bosh
Steve Nash

[DPG21920]

Oden........oh you said classiest, I thought you said glassiest

[Ghazi]

:lol:lol

[Matchman]

me....er i mean Battier:king
Mutombo!

[mystargtr34]

Yao Ming
Dirk Nowitzki
Chris Bosh
Steve Nash

Excercise bike says otherwise. :wakeup

[peskypesky]

Tim Duncan

[Findog]

^ Yeah, don't know how I forgot him.

[Findog]

Excercise bike says otherwise. :wakeup

C'mon now, the exercise bike won that round. No need to be a sore winner.

[mystargtr34]

C'mon now, the exercise bike won that round. No need to be a sore winner.

:lol Dirk is all class and i like him as a player, but ill never let that one go.

[pauls931]

Tim Duncan

I'm tempted to disqualify both duncan and nash based on their reactions to calls against them.

[tlongII]

Brandon Roy

[Armando]

Tim Duncan

[de Soto]

Bruce Bowen

[Armando]

Kendrick Perkins

[Armando]

Bruce Bowen



Ray Allen would like to disagree with you.

[nil.ball]

Kobe and Shane Battier

[Armando]

Quentin Richardson

[SpursDynasty]

Derek Fisher? Classy? No. Signing with the Lakers is not "Pulling out of the Utah contract to concentrate fully on his daughter".

[Armando]

Derek Fisher? Classy? No. Signing with the Lakers is not "Pulling out of the Utah contract to concentrate fully on his daughter".

Yeah I never got that. He could have easily stayed with Utah and make the necessary arrangments to travel to LA. I am sure Sloan would have given him games off to take care of his duaghter.

[romad_20]

Bruce Bowen


Damn, beat me to it. Maybe not on the court, but definitely off the court. Bowen is always giving back to the community.

[Texas_Ranger]

Rasheed Wallace.:rollin

[tomtom]

Rodman

[Findog]

There's two Bowens: the good guy off the court and the douchenozzle on it. Think he'd get away with those tactics if he were playing for Milwaukee or Charlotte?

[romad_20]

Jayson Williams?

[Darrin]

Grant Hill - Phoenix Suns
Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs
Joe Johnson - Atlanta Hawks
Tony Parker - San Antonio Spurs
Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
Chauncey Billups - Denver Nuggets
Richard Hamilton - Detroit Pistons
Elton Brand - Philadelphia 76ers
Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Cleveland Cavaliers
Hedo Turkoglu - Orlando Magic
Kobe Bryant - LA Lakers
Vince Carter - New Jersey Nets

[tomtom]

^ yay for humanists

[Brazil]

Grant Hill - Phoenix Suns
Tim Duncan - San Antonio Spurs
Joe Johnson - Atlanta Hawks
Tony Parker - San Antonio Spurs
Chris Paul - New Orleans Hornets
Chauncey Billups - Denver Nuggets
Richard Hamilton - Detroit Pistons
Elton Brand - Philadelphia 76ers
Dwyane Wade - Miami Heat
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Cleveland Cavaliers
Hedo Turkoglu - Orlando Magic
Kobe Bryant - LA Lakers
Vince Carter - New Jersey Nets

good list

[dirk4mvp]

Amare

[Flo-Rida]

tim duncan
steve nash
lebron james

[Xylus]

Jerry Stackhouse
Bruce Bowen
James Posey

[j-money24]

Ron Artest

i dono if your being sarcastic or anything
but ron artest has class..
but if u fuck wit him than ur fucked .. pretty simple

[ClingingMars]

Tim Duncan.
Manu Ginobili.
Tony Parker.
VC.
LBJ.
CP3 (off the court)
Bruce Bowen (off the court)

-Mars

[Armando]

Robert Swift

[turiaf for president]

lindsey hunter

[sook]

matt bonner

[Darthkiller]

Dyess!

[ploto]

Some players who are very classy on the court and as teammates are not in their personal lives. On the other hand, some guys are real jerks on the court but the nicest people off of it.

It can be tough to find someone who is classy both on and off, but if I had to choose one, I would say Grant Hill.

[MarHill]

Derek Fisher? Classy? No. Signing with the Lakers is not "Pulling out of the Utah contract to concentrate fully on his daughter".

That's a low blow...even for a Spurs fan.

We don't know the full reason for that decision and to go after him like that is unfair.

Utah released him from his contract(The Jazz didn't have to..) and with the disease his daughter had...L.A along with New York were the best cities to give her the best treatment.

I'm all for criticizing athletes for their on-field decisions (or on-court...in this case) and their off-field incidents if they have broken the law.

But...a family illness should be off-limits!!!

[balli]

Tim Duncan.
Manu Ginobili.
Tony Parker. BY FAR, the whiniest trio in the NBA. Parker's rap video was one of the most ghey clips of film I've ever seen in my life. If his life actually mirrors that video (or even if that's a truly ideal aspiration for him) than I sadly have to conclude that Tony Parker is a total fucking douche. Only French, so that much worse. Tim Duncan seems like an awesome guy off the court. As well as Manu.

VC.
I don't know if you're joking or just believe in his NBA Cares ads, but Vince Carter has a reputation for being (off the court) one of the most conceited dickheads the NBA has ever produced. There was a Bill Simmons column a few years back that had some insider stories about Vince. The guy just treats little people like shit. Not to even mention his wasted talent, on court selfishness or pretend injuries used to hold a team hostage.

LBJ.
I don't think LeBron is necessarily a bad guy, but I don't think for a second that his public persona isn't a carefully crafted part of his overall brand name. Who knows whether he's really classy or not, because when he's talking it ain't him, it's LBJ the Nike brand.

[dirk4mvp]

BY FAR, the whiniest trio in the NBA. Parker's rap video was one of the most ghey clips of film I've ever seen in my life. If his life actually mirrors that video (or even if that's a truly ideal aspiration for him) than I sadly have to conclude that Tony Parker is a total fucking douche. Only French, so that much worse. Tim Duncan seems like an awesome guy off the court. As well as Manu.




:lmao

[cobbler]

Yeah I never got that. He could have easily stayed with Utah and make the necessary arrangments to travel to LA. I am sure Sloan would have given him games off to take care of his duaghter.

How he would have traveled was a minor consideration and yes he could have done that while playing with utah. The KEY reason was there were two cities with the proper care facilities and the reason they chose LA was his wife's family is rooted there. Think about it. Your husband is off playing ballgames. Your daughter is getting extreme medical care. You have another child. Everyone knows how difficult raising children can be. You wouldnt want to be in the place where your extended family is for both moral and physical support?

To suggest wrong doing in a situation like this is just plain wrong and it would figure it comes from the mouth of SD. Fisher has been a class act since the day he entered the league.

SpursDynasty... you have stooped to an alltime low. Talk about lack of class... you are the poster child.

[angelbelow]

tim duncan, manu ginobili, battier, yao,

[sonic21]

Ronny Turiaf

[timtonymanu]

dont mean to be a homer but the whole Spurs team is classy despite what posters say about them whining about calls.

Shane Battier
Chauncey Billups
Tayshaun Prince
Derek Fisher
Michael Redd
Steve Nash
Brandon Roy
Chris Bosh
Deron Williams
Caron Butler
Antawn Jamison

[ambchang]

I am surprised I haven't seen Bynum and Kobe, they are best at everything.

[monosylab1k]

Devin Harris is obviously the classiest player in sports history.

[sonic21]

Last year, I'd have said Elton Brand.

[mrsmaalox]

I like Baron Davis.

[Findog]

BY FAR, the whiniest trio in the NBA. Parker's rap video was one of the most ghey clips of film I've ever seen in my life. If his life actually mirrors that video (or even if that's a truly ideal aspiration for him) than I sadly have to conclude that Tony Parker is a total fucking douche. Only French, so that much worse. Tim Duncan seems like an awesome guy off the court. As well as Manu.

I don't know if you're joking or just believe in his NBA Cares ads, but Vince Carter has a reputation for being (off the court) one of the most conceited dickheads the NBA has ever produced. There was a Bill Simmons column a few years back that had some insider stories about Vince. The guy just treats little people like shit. Not to even mention his wasted talent, on court selfishness or pretend injuries used to hold a team hostage.

I don't think LeBron is necessarily a bad guy, but I don't think for a second that his public persona isn't a carefully crafted part of his overall brand name. Who knows whether he's really classy or not, because when he's talking it ain't him, it's LBJ the Nike brand.

Clinging Dingleberries is one of the biggest idiots on this board, so you're wasting your breath trying to talk sense.

[Findog]

Devin Harris is obviously the classiest player in sports history.

He's also the best player in the history of all sports, better than Jordan, Gretzky, Ruth, Tiger and Federer.

[TDMVPDPOY]

grant hill classy? hey if he gets a pass for not rescinding his contract when he was contracted with orlando magic...then marbury is on the classiest list also....

[td4mvp21]

BY FAR, the whiniest trio in the NBA. Parker's rap video was one of the most ghey clips of film I've ever seen in my life. If his life actually mirrors that video (or even if that's a truly ideal aspiration for him) than I sadly have to conclude that Tony Parker is a total fucking douche. Only French, so that much worse. Tim Duncan seems like an awesome guy off the court. As well as Manu.


They probably are some of the whiniest players in the league when it comes to officiating but that doesn't mean they aren't classy. You will never see any of them belittle an opponent in an interview, intentionally try and hurt one of the other teams' players, or try and start a fight. They are always very respectful of their opponents on and off the court.

[resistanze]

He's also the best player in the history of all sports, better than Jordan, Gretzky, Ruth, Tiger and Federer.

If Jesus played sports, he would lose to Devin Harris.

[Dex]

CP3? This guy acted like the biggest panty-wad I'd ever seen against the Spurs last year. He may be a nice guy off the court, but that certainly doesn't translate. Need to dig up that gif of him dancing with Oberto, too.

I'm surprised Kobe has been mentioned a couple times. Kobe is a great basketball player, but his arrogance on the court makes it hard to call him classy, as did the games of "All Shots or No Shots" that he used to play to throw a tantrum. To his credit, the classiest thing Bryant ever did was walk away and laugh it off when Bell clotheslined him.

[balli]

They probably are some of the whiniest players in the league when it comes to officiating but that doesn't mean they aren't classy. You will never see any of them belittle an opponent in an interview, intentionally try and hurt one of the other teams' players, or try and start a fight. They are always very respectful of their opponents on and off the court.

I'd agree with that. They are to be sure, very good about not belittling their opponents, fighting, etc. And I hear a lot of stories about charitable acts that are tied to the Spurs; more so than any other organization. And I'm sure Duncan and Manu have a large role in that. And they all play hard, which is really classy, because this league has a lot of guys who don't work very hard for their millions.

So I don't think their whining necessarily precludes them from being considered classy citizens. But it doesn't help. And it does sort of smack of an entitled attitude/sore losership, which in a way is an under-handed slight to the opposition.

[FromWayDowntown]

So I don't think their whining necessarily precludes them from being considered classy citizens. But it doesn't help. And it does sort of smack of an entitled attitude/sore losership, which in a way is an under-handed slight to the opposition.

I wish they wouldn't whine as much as they do. But you have to admit that the whining doesn't leave the floor with the Spurs' guys. They don't blame losses on anything other than themselves and they are quick to credit those who've beaten them. At the same time, they aren't smug with the media about winning and they exude a deep respect for those they've beaten.

The only time I can think of Tim Duncan saying anything about NBA officiating was the bizarre Joey Crawford incident -- and the league's reaction to it would suggest strongly that it found Tim's side of the story to be right.

[NBA Junkie]

Kevin Garnett

[td4mvp21]

So I don't think their whining necessarily precludes them from being considered classy citizens. But it doesn't help.
Right. A lot of Spurs fans, myself included, get aggravated when they whine constantly at bad calls or calls they think are bad or things they think should have been calls.


And it does sort of smack of an entitled attitude/sore losership, which in a way is an under-handed slight to the opposition.

I agree with FWD. You could say that but they never blame officiating for a loss and they always give the other team their props.

[td4mvp21]

Kevin Garnett

:lmao

[ploto]

You could say that but they never blame officiating for a loss and they always give the other team their props.

Duncan, unfortunately, was classless with regards to the Olympics and showed a sense of entitlement and being a sore loser-- discrediting the accomplishment and ability of the opponents.

[td4mvp21]

Duncan, unfortunately, was classless with regards to the Olympics and showed a sense of entitlement and being a sore loser-- discrediting the accomplishment and ability of the opponents.

:blah

[balli]

I agree with FWD. You could say that but they never blame officiating for a loss and they always give the other team their props.
+1

And I blame the Crawford incident entirely on Joey himself.

[monosylab1k]

Duncan, unfortunately, was classless with regards to the Olympics and showed a sense of entitlement and being a sore loser-- discrediting the accomplishment and ability of the opponents.

:lmao he had every right to bitch. That US team sucked balls and deserved to lose, but Duncan got royally fucked by the refs every game.

[Dex]

Duncan, unfortunately, was classless with regards to the Olympics and showed a sense of entitlement and being a sore loser-- discrediting the accomplishment and ability of the opponents.

Discredited his opponents? His opponent was Manu, his San Antonio teammate. Something tells me he didn't begrudge him too much.

As for his reaction towards FIBA and the officiating, I don't blame him.

Duncan wasn't allowed to play in the Olympics. He was only allowed to pick up fouls, and five fouls go fast the way there were handing them out .

I understand the European game is different from the American, but Timmy isn't a power or physical player. He hardly gets himself into foul trouble, and I can't remember the last time he fouled out of a game.

I have a hard time believing that the US fouls and World fouls are that different considering guys like Amare and Howard have been able to adapt to it. But one of the games smartest players couldn't?

I'll admit, I'm disappointed that Duncan will never play for gold again. And he was definitely very forthcoming in his opinions doing so. But I don't hold it against the guy. He didn't get the support he needed, he wasn't being allowed to play his game, and the US definitely suffered from a sense of entitlement that stuck them in a hole they couldn't dig out of.

Duncan will probably forever be the scapegoat for that USA team, and I hardly think he was entirely to blame.

[ploto]

So you believe people who in your view have a right to bitch are still classy doing so. I don't. True class is shown when you do not get what you want, when things do not go your way, or when you are treated in a manner you view to be unfair.

[td4mvp21]

True class is shown when you do not get what you want, when things do not go your way, or when you are treated in a manner you view to be unfair.

Right, which is how Duncan is 99.9% of the time, but of course you managed to find the ONE example of when he chose to criticize the officiating (which like mono said, was completely legitimate. I will always give Duncan a free pass for stating the obvious). That's just being a hater.

[Dex]

So you believe people who in your view have a right to bitch are still classy doing so. I don't. True class is shown when you do not get what you want, when things do not go your way, or when you are treated in a manner you view to be unfair.

I'll admit Duncan didn't show much class in his reactions to FIBA. I'm just saying it wasn't completely unwarranted.

Duncan also plays the officials a little too much to be considered completely classy.

But he's still an honest opponent. He respects his teammates and enemies, he never drags anybody through the dirt or makes excuses, he helps guys up and apologizes when he barrels them over. He does all the little things on the court that make other players glad to play around him.

The image that comes to mind is Tim trying to help up a sweaty Suns opponent, only to have the classless Shaq turn him down and shrug him off.

Tim didn't have words. He didn't piss and moan. He just drained a three on Shaq and sent him packing.

[cornbread]

I don't think Bruce Bowen should be included in this conversation. Now if you're talking about "Community Assist" types then he's a perfect example. He gives so much of his time and energy to the children of San Antonio. I don't think it necessarily equates to being the "classiest" though.



Nobody who has been known to speak in 3rd person at times should be allowed on the "Classy List". Sorry Lebron.

[Thompson]

If Bowen is excluded for his defensive tactics (I don't consider him dirty, because I don't think he's trying to inflict injury), Nash has problems of his own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9BcqV_bwXY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scmx1z94WAI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhzVTB8ryQM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAhDOErIBFI

There was also the incident when a point guard was bringing the ball up the court and was body-checked out of bounds. I couldn't find the video, but Nash actually did it to Avery Johnson once.

The fact that Nash likes to feign injury to try to get others ejected also makes me dislike him a bit. Off the court, though, he seems like a nice guy. I liked the 'Zoolander' commercials.

Speaking of hard fouls, if he was still playing I might add Robert Horry.

[TheMACHINE]

in regards to kobe, anyone who followed him knows that there has been two diff Kobe's in his career. Definately nice to have the current one in the NBA.

[Brazil]

Ray Allen ?

[spursfan09]

Duncan, unfortunately, was classless with regards to the Olympics and showed a sense of entitlement and being a sore loser-- discrediting the accomplishment and ability of the opponents.

Entitlement my ass..... The other players were getting treated better than him. I guess its only okay if the other players were entitled and not Tim Duncan. But way to show respect to one of the greatest players ever to play the game.