The NBA socialverse is petty, dramatic, and even a little bit narcissistic. And that’s what makes it the best pro-sports social media world on the internet.
It’s one of the few places where headlines are made by someone liking an Instagram comment. It’s also a place where you’ll see stars slide into random people’s DMs—not for anything like that, but just to argue about their skills. And it’s certainly the only place where grown men share pictures from Arthur, a decades-old PBS cartoon.
What makes NBA stars on Twitter and Instagram different from stars in other sports is that many of them aren’t shy about saying what they think, which can connect fans to their favorite players like never before. Whereas most postgame interviews are typically very cliché and diplomatic, NBA stars online will tell you what they think about opposing players, refs, or even teammates. And that honesty can make for some fun storylines throughout the season and certainly during the offseason.
While there are many intriguing and humorous components of NBA Twitter and Instagram, the ones that grab the most headlines are the player beefs. Knowing which players are feuding adds WWE-esque storylines that go far beyond the court to the game. Seeing two players exchange angry tweets provides for excellent public theater and gives fans a courtside view of the behind-the-scenes drama of the NBA.
There have been a lot of great beefs on NBA social over the last couple of years—here’s a look at the 12 best so far in 2018.
12. Enes Kanter vs. LeBron James
Image via USA Today Sports/Brad Penner
This rivalry is a little…one-sided, to say the least. LeBron James is the greatest basketball player of his generation, and Enes Kanter, well, isn’t. But that hasn’t stopped Kanter from trying to start a rivalry with him.
This all began ahead of the Cavs’ visit to New York in November, when James criticizedthe Knicks for drafting Frank Ntilikina over Dennis Smith Jr. During their matchup shortly after James made those comments, Ntilikina and James got into some pushing and shoving. Kanter then came to Ntilikina’s defense, getting into LeBron’s face and starting a contentious near-brawl on the MSG floor.
Things didn’t end there. A few weeks later, Kanter trolled LeBron on Twitter after his first career ejection:And here’s Kanter trolling LeBron after the Cavs gave up 148 points to the Thunder:The Knicks’ big man later seemed to soften his stance towards James, by challenging him to “prove” he is king by coming to New York.
LeBron has better things to do than get into internet arguments with Kanter.
11. Mo Bamba vs. Joel Embiid
Image via USA Today Sports/Bill Streicher
No mention of NBA Twitter would be complete without an appreciation of Joel Embiid. From thirsting over Rihanna to recruiting LeBron James to the Sixers, “The Process” has proven to be perhaps the most entertaining professional athlete on social media.
Embiid’s and Magic rookie Mo Bamba’s beef goes back to April, when Embiid said he was giving Bamba “cheat codes” for succeeding in the NBA. Too bad he couldn’t have given those to his former teammate Jahlil Okafor—he could have probably used them.
After being drafted No. 6 overall by the Magic, Embiid christened Bamba’s NBA career with a complete posterization in the gym.Bamba made a Twitter account after Embiid welcomed him to the league, and it’s safe to say he’s looking forward to getting back at him once the games start counting.
10. Isaiah Thomas vs. Cleveland
Image via USA Today Sports/Kim Klement
Has anyone had a worse 2018 than Isaiah Thomas?
Last year at this time, I.T. was coming off of an All-Star season in which he averaged 28.9 points per game and finished fifth in MVP voting. Then he got traded to the Cavs…and it was all downhill from there.
The Thomas era in Cleveland lasted just 15 games, and was marred by injury and poor play. At the trade deadline, he was unceremoniously sent to the Lakers, where he once again failed to find his 2017 form, which cost him this offseason when he signed a one-year, $2 million deal instead of making max money like he once envisioned. It’s safe to say that Thomas doesn’t have many happy memories in Cleveland.
In fact, he effectively said as much in a recent Instagram video. In the video, Thomas recalled all of the cities he played in…and had some choice words for the Mistake by the Lake.
“I’m just saying, Sac, L.A., and Boston was all love. Phoenix was cool,” Thomas said. “Cleveland was a shithole. I see why ‘Bron left again.”
Thomas later apologized to Clevelanders for his comments.
9. Joel Embiid vs. LaVar Ball
Image via Getty/Allen Berezovksy
Joel Embiid and LaVar Ball are natural beefing partners.
Both love to clown in public—the only difference is that Embiid is actually an NBA superstar, and is usually just trolling. When Ball says things like he was a better tight end than Rob Gronkowski, you always get the sense that he means it. (For the record, Ball played special teams for some team called the London Monarchs).
So Embiid’s inevitable feud with Ball began when the Sixers star tweeted his desire to see teammate Ben Simmons posterize his son Lonzo.In a subsequent radio interview, Ball slammed Embiid for the tweet and told the Sixers to get their “asses off the goddamn tweeter and get in the gym.” And Embiid took Ball’s advice, to a degree. He went on Instagram to curse at Ball in a live video.Embiid’s F-bomb in this video earned him a $10,000 fine from the NBA. The Embiid-Ball beef went quiet for a few months after this, and appeared to end after the two shook hands after a game in December.
8. Jimmy Butler vs. Dwyane Wade
Image via USA Today Sports/Mike DiNovo
Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade were teammates with the Bulls for a season. But it doesn’t look like there’s much love between them now.
Butler started the feud with a perhaps too honest comment on a post from Wade’s wife, model and actress Gabrielle Union.The next day, Butler posted a relatively innocuous video about his soccer aspirations, detailing the “good, the bad, and the ugly” about his game.
7. Ben Simmons vs. Donovan Mitchell
Image via USA Today Sports/Bill Streicher
This season, Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell engaged in one of the most compelling Rookie of the Year battles in years. Playing true to his point-center billing, Simmons averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. Mitchell, on the other hand, surprisingly emerged as a 20.5-point-per-game scorer.
The competition between the two has extended off the court as well. When asked if any other rookies caught his eye this season, Simmons responded in the negative—something Mitchell subtweeted his disapproval over:
7. Ben Simmons vs. Donovan Mitchell
Image via USA Today Sports/Bill Streicher
This season, Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell engaged in one of the most compelling Rookie of the Year battles in years. Playing true to his point-center billing, Simmons averaged 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. Mitchell, on the other hand, surprisingly emerged as a 20.5-point-per-game scorer.
The competition between the two has extended off the court as well. When asked if any other rookies caught his eye this season, Simmons responded in the negative—something Mitchell subtweeted his disapproval over:The next day, Mitchell debuted a new hoodie, appearing to poke fun at Simmons’ rookie status, since he was drafted in 2016.
6. Kevin Durant vs. C.J. McCollum
Image via USA Today Sports/Kyle Terada
When Kevin Durant appeared on C.J. McCollum’s podcast in July, K.D. mocked the Blazers after McCollum said that he was “hot” when the Warriors signed DeMarcus Cousins. The two struck a friendly and joking tone throughout the interview, but it seemed as though there might be something bubbling under the surface.
5. Bryan Colangelo vs. the Sixers (Allegedly)
Image via USA Today Sports/James Lang
It’s not often that a team will part ways with its GM after its winningest season in 17 years. But thanks to some allegedly ridiculous behavior by Bryan Colangelo, the Sixers were forced to do just that.
Back in May, The Ringer published an extensive report alleging that Colangelo had several secret Twitter accounts that he used to disparage players, question coaching decisions, and even disclose sensitive team information. In its wake, the Sixers launched an investigation into the matter, and ultimately parted ways with him a little while later.
Philly’s investigation reportedly found that Colangelo’s wife, Barbara Bottini, was the one running the accounts, and that Colangelo didn’t know about them. In his resignation statement, he appeared to have thrown his wife under the bus in defending his own actions:
“While I am grateful that the independent investigation conducted by the 76ers has confirmed that I had no knowledge of or involvement in the Twitter activity conducted by my wife, I vigorously dispute the allegation that my conduct was in any way reckless. At no point did I ever purposefully or directly share any sensitive, non-public, club-related information with her.”
4. Kevin Durant vs. Trolls
Image via Getty/Andrew D. Bernstein
You’d think being a nine-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA champion, and a two-time NBA Finals MVP would give you enough justification to ignore your haters.
Apparently not if you’re Kevin Durant.
Last year, Durant prompted speculation that he uses burner Twitter accounts to anonymously clap back at his haters.
Durant quickly admitted to writing those tweets, apologized, and blamed them on feeling groggy after waking up from a nap. He has denied using “burner” accounts.
But his battle with random people didn’t stop there. Last month, Durant got caught having a lengthy Instagram DM argument with a teenager.
3. Mark Cuban vs. the Refs
Image via USA Today Sports/Jerome Miron
A feud as old as time itself.
Mark Cuban has amassed about $2.6 million in fines during his 18 years as the Mavericks’ owner, and much of that sum comes from his criticism of the NBA’s officials. His public anti-ref sentiment predates Twitter by about a decade, but Cuban routinely lambasts NBA officiating to his 7.8 million Twitter followers. Here are a few highlights:
2. Kevin Durant vs. Russell Westbrook
Image via Getty/Ronald Martinez/Staff
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were great friends as Thunder teammates. But since K.D. jumped ship for Golden State, it’s been obvious to everyone that there’s at least a little bad blood between the two.
Their beef has been the subject of media and fan scrutiny every since that fateful July, but it has not been publicly confirmed by either of them—Durant has downplayed it, and Westbrook has been mostly mum on the subject. Despite this, the overwhelming perception is that the two don’t get along anymore. And in addition to their on-court clashes, a few cryptic social media posts have further fueled this perception.
While the two have never directly targeted each other on social media, the levels of petty and subcontext in these incidents are indicative of NBA social media culture—and how fans will read basketball storylines into just about anything the players post.
The most notable instance of this came in April, when Durant liked an Instagram comment critical of Westbrook. The comment read: “‘subpar’ lmfao the problem was Westbrook. [The Thunder] had a good ass team.”
This made national headlines. And Durant didn’t even write this. He just liked it. And it still made national headlines. For a like. On something he didn’t even write.
Welcome to 2018.
Durant said the like was accidental. But that wouldn’t be the last potentially cryptic subpost of the Durant-Westbrook saga.
In June, Westbrook posted a video of himself rapping the lyrics to Ice Cube’s “No Vaseline,” which includes the following bars:
