The Most Endearing Personalities in the NBA

The NBA is a league filled with wild and unhinged personalities. While other sports may call for a more reserved type of athlete, in the NBA we have many players who enjoy being discussed in the media and showcasing their lifestyles on Facebook and Instagram. In all this craziness, there are some extremely genuine people, and others that just enjoy the attention they generate through their antics. Of course, they are all endearing in their own way, and these are some of the most interesting players in the NBA today.

Russell Westbrook

As the new star player of the Washington Wizards, Russell Westbrook has both a big opportunity and a big challenge in front of him. However, that is likely the best position for him. Westbrook is known for being a divisive player around the league. His larger-than-life personality can be abrasive to some teammates, but the media loves it.

More than any other attribute, Westbrook is loved for his seemingly unstoppable energy and passion for the sport. His dedication to whatever team he is on is admirable, although Westbrook has earned a polarizing reputation for being somewhat unfriendly to opposing teams and their fans. For one reason or another, Westbrook has successfully captured the attention of basketball fans everywhere and is certainly one of the NBA's biggest characters.

LeBron James

LeBron James is a talent that doesn't need an introduction. Not only is he one of the most famous NBA players, he's also one of the most famous athletes in the world. His contributions to his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, is one of the main reasons they won the championship last season and when you refer to the NBA Championship winner betting odds, it's clear the bookmakers expect they will win again this season. While other players strive to get attention for their off-court antics, LeBron James seems to be unconcerned with receiving praise and fame, but instead focuses his efforts on continuously playing at the highest level. James is admired for his intense work ethic and dedication to the sport.

James Harden

James Harden embodies the headstrong and attention generating personality that many NBA players try to emulate. He is outwardly vocal before and after games, drawing attention to where others succeeded and failed. Harden enjoys exotic sports cars, and famous model girlfriends that bring him even more attention. It's also been said multiple times that he is not particularly interested in building relations with fans, and doesn't much care for signing autographs.

That all said, when he's on the court, Harden's focus and drive are intense and admirable. He gives no attention to what is happening with the fans or announcers and focuses completely on winning the game. His playstyle is powerful and aggressive, and there have been multiple instances of Harden running over defenders to get to the net. While some former and current teammates may say that at times Harden's personality rubs them the wrong way, they most certainly respect his dedication to the sport.

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry is unlike many of the other players on this list. Curry has not become a fan favorite in the league because of witty quips in interviews or drama that he starts. Instead, Curry has become one of the most well known players in the NBA just because of how kind and likeable he is. It's clear that Stephen Curry is more focused on the sport and his path as one of the best shooters of all time. His genuine kindness and focus on his family and achievements make him a more relatable and likeable figure in the NBA.

Kevin Durant

In the minds of many fans and analysts, Kevin Durant is the 2nd best player alive after LeBron James. When he is healthy, he excels in all areas of the sport from defending, to shooting, passing, and rebounding. While you would imagine a player like this has an ego to rival the most hardheaded players in the league, at his core Durant is a kind and team-oriented player. Durant is not out to steal the spotlight, he is a natural leader who is out to win games by pushing the entire team to play at the best of their ability.

Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball has a very unique and interesting story in the NBA. He is the son of former NFL player LaVar Ball, and has two brothers that also dedicated their lives to basketball, including 2020 rookie LaMelo Ball. Lonzo's entire rise in the NBA has been well-documented and highly anticipated. It felt at many times that everyone had a role they wanted Lonzo to fill.

When the Lakers drafted him in 2017, they wanted Lonzo Ball to be the face of the franchise. Around the same time, both Nike and Adidas had approached him hoping that Ball could help promote the next massive basketball shoe line to rival the famous Air Jordan line. Instead, he turned down these paths and many others, and focused on building his skills and repertoire.

To sum it up, this is a very young and promising player who has had every force around him try to turn him into a media superstar. Instead, he has rejected all of these forces, and all of the attention, and focused solely on the one thing he wants to excel at, basketball.

Kyrie Irving

Over his decade in the NBA, Kyrie Irving has been the recipient of both praise and criticism. Many analysts admire his skills and contributions to his team, but he is known for having a wild personality that changes like the weather. Whether this is due to ego, or the pressures of success, is up to interpretation.

When Kyrie Irving is on, he is one of the best point guards in the game and an inspiration to millions of fans worldwide. When he is having a bad streak, or on a team that he is losing faith in, it's clear that he shuts down to everyone. This includes teammates, coaches, media, and fans.

Over the years, we have seen Irving go on tirades against the media, both individual journalists and networks like ESPN. His coaches and managers have vented their own frustrations as well at times. So what is it about Irving that makes him so endearing then? With Irving we see both the highest highs and the lowest lows.

When he won the NBA Championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, we saw a player that was on top of the world and giving due praise to everyone around him. When things weren't going well with the Brooklyn Nets, we saw him completely shut out everyone and refuse to come out of his shell. In the end, we know that inside Irving is a warm, funny, and charismatic person that deals with the pressures of being a top-tier athlete in a way that is not diplomatic or rehearsed, but genuine and feels human.