Weirdest NBA Facts

 Muggsy Bogues
The shortest NBA player of all time was Muggsy Bogues standing at 5’3. He went on to have a 14-year career as a defensive threat.

Marquis Daniels
Though all were picked from the 2003 draft, from 2004-2007 Marquis Daniels was the highest paid player from that cycle, beating out the salaries of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and other notable players.

Trading Places
Marc Gasol is the younger brother of Lakers’ power forward Pau Gasol. Marc was drafted to the Lakers in 2007 but his draft rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, the first NBA team his brother Pau had played for. In the trade, the Lakers signed for Pau making this the only trade of brothers in NBA history.

A Fight With a Bite
Wayne “Tree” Rollins was the first player to be suspended for biting someone. He bit Danny Ainge’s middle finger so hard that it needed a few stitches. Needless to say, that argument got “out of hand”

 First Name Basis
Ray Allen’s legal name is actually Walter Allen Jr. He goes by his middle name of Ray because his father’s name is Walter Allen.

 Steamrollers
There was a team in the association called the Providence Steamrollers during its first year. Yep, this was a thing.

Lion Slayer
Being a herdsman in his youth, Manute Bol once killed a lion with a spear while it slept. This is something his agent noted while negotiating his contracts!

Right in the Corneas
Charles Barkley had to miss the opening game of his 1994-95 season with the Phoenix Suns because of a bizarre injury. He burned his corneas by rubbing them at a concert. It is believed the lotion he had been using at the time caused a bad chemical reaction.

Dog Bite
Tracy McGrady was the first player to be sued because of a dog bite. His home maintenance manager was jumped on by McGrady’s rottweiler. When asked about it he said “I feel terrible, I didn’t think he had it in him.”

Broken Legs
Josh Howard was born with severely deformed legs that curved inward. They had to be broken and reset so they would grow straight.

Solicitations
Retired player James Worthy was once arrested for soliciting a prostitute a day before a big game. He was actually allowed to play the next day but not in his usual starting position.

Healthy Woman
Marquis Daniels has several notable tattoos. One of them is supposed to be his initials in Chinese characters but they actually translate to mean “healthy woman roof” in English.

Mr. Bean
Kobe Bryant’s middle name is Bean. This probably comes from his father’s nickname Joe “Jellybean” Bryant.

Overcoming Obstacles
Bill Walton used to have a stuttering problem that he overcame after his pro career spanning from 1974–1987. He went on to become a successful NBA commentator for NBC.

Doctor Gasol
At the age of 11, Pau Gasol heard of Magic Johnson’s 1991 announcement of being HIV-positive. It was then that he decided he wanted to pursue medicine as a career. He enrolled in medical school at the University of Barcelona but left when his basketball career became too demanding.