Most Controversial Courtside Ejections in Basketball

Basketball games, especially the NBA and WNBA, have seen numerous high-profile courtside ejections and incidents involving players, coaches, and even celebrities, often sparking significant media attention and debate.

The top 3

  1. Infamous Player-Fan Altercations: The 'Malice at the Palace' in 2004 remains one of the most infamous player-fan altercations, leading to Ron Artest's 86-game suspension after he charged into the stands. Another notable incident involved Dennis Rodman kicking a cameraman in 1997, resulting in an 11-game suspension and a $25,000 fine.
  2. Coaches Ejected for Heated Arguments: Coaches like Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr, and Doc Rivers are known for fiery ejections. Popovich holds the record for the fastest NBA coach ejection, tossed just 63 seconds into a game in 2019. Recently, Denver coach David Adelman was ejected for the first time in his NBA career in 2025 after arguing foul calls.
  3. Celebrity & Player Ejections from Courtside: Beyond players, high-profile figures like celebrities have also been ejected from courtside seats. In 2021, LeBron James famously had two courtside fans ejected after pointing them out to officials for crossing a line with their comments. Steph Curry was ejected in the 2016 NBA Finals for throwing his mouthpiece into the crowd, accidentally hitting a fan.

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