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#3 Matthew Dellavedova
Did you know that diminutive guard Matthew Dellavedova was once regarded as the dirtiest player in the NBA? That’s right, the 6' 3" veteran guard is in the top five.
Consider that the Australian native was voted in 2015 as the dirtiest player in the NBA in a voting by players and coaches in a Los Angeles Times poll.
Nowhere were Dellavedova’s dirty tactics more pronounced than in the 2015 NBA Finals, where he got the ire of NBA MVP Stephen Curry. The usually calm and collected Curry was incensed many times because of Delly’s tough brand of defense, which included physicality beyond normal means.
Some say that he is merely reckless. But the fact that his tight defense sometimes ends up with someone getting hurt, Delly has to play differently at the defensive end to keep from inflicting harm on his opponents.
#2 Patrick Beverley
From physicality and downright dirty plays to trash-talking, Patrick Beverley is easily counted among the dirtiest NBA players of the 21st century. The 6' 1" Beverley knows a thing or two about how to get a player to focus on him rather than in the game.
His ability to play supreme defense makes it difficult for referees to catch all the dirty little tricks he does. But every now and then, he does something so blatantly obvious that there’s no question how dirty the play was.
Consider how he caused Russell Westbrook’s torn meniscus injury in the 2013 NBA playoffs, whether intentionally or unintentionally, by going after the knees of the former Oklahoma City Thunder guard. The injury required surgery to repair the damage. Then in the 2018-19 season, he dived after a loose ball and nearly injured Westbrook in almost the same fashion.
Finally, unable to stop Chris Paul in Game 6 of the 2021 Western Conference Finals, Beverley pushed the Phoenix Suns guard hard and made him fall on the floor, earning the three-time All-Defensive guard a suspension for the next game.
#1 Metta Sandiford-Artest
During the summer of 2001, playing against Michael Jordan, who was trying to recondition his body so he could unretire and play for the Washington Wizards, the man known formerly as Ron Artest broke His Airness’ ribs. The injury set Jordan’s conditioning back by a few weeks, and that caused quite a stir around the NBA.
For his career, Artest was ejected 11 times, including three times in the playoffs. One of the best defenders in the game during his playing days, Artest was also known for throwing cheap shots at opponents as part of his intimidating tactics.
Artest was central to the 'Malice at the Palace' incident that rocked the basketball world to its core during the 2004-05 season. As Artest revealed in the Netflix documentary, he was already going through therapy to deal with his behavior issues. But on the night of November 19, 2004, he went too far.
With the game out of reach and his Indiana Pacers on their way to a win against the Detroit Pistons, Artest shoved Ben Wallace hard, and that essentially started the infamous brawl that would ensue later. The Indiana Pacers forward was subsequently suspended for the rest of the year by the then NBA commissioner David Stern.
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