Most Hated Athletes of All-Time

Sports bring people together. The favorite teams, the big games, and don’t forget the athletes. Sports fans have their favorites, but they also have those that they just can’t stand. There are a number of athletes that come to mind that instantly make most sports fans cringe. 

Those are the athletes we are talking about today, the most hated athletes of all-time. Think of the guys you hated to watch, hated to cheer for…athletes that you just didn’t want to see succeed. Let’s see if any of your guys made our list.

LEBRON JAMES

He’s the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, but for many, he’s also the league’s biggest cry baby. The GOAT argument is an ongoing feud among James, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Jordan. Many dislike James as the best player ever because he doesn’t have the same amount of success. Bryant went 5-2 in NBA Finals. Jordan was 6-0. James has been known to refer to himself in the third person and has a tattoo that reads “Chosen One” across his back. Not sure many fans like that. For many NBA fans Lebron James is the most hated athlete. 

KYRIE IRVING

How about a former teammate of Lebron? Irving played with James on the 2016 Cleveland team that rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors and claim that season’s NBA title. Then, he promptly demanded a trade so that he could prove that he could win without LeBron. It looks like he’s still working on that. 

Irving played two seasons in Boston and then missed a ton of games for the Brooklyn Nets because of the COVID-19 pandemic and New York City’s vaccine mandate. Irving was traded to Dallas last season and remains on the Mavericks roster. Sitting out while protesting the vaccine mandate and then posting a link to an anti-Semetic movie got Irving in some hot water. He’s still there.

THE BAD BOYS

If you’re too young to remember the Bad Boys in the NBA, go to YouTube and start watching bodies flying all over the court. Bill Laimbeer played most of his NBA career in Detroit. Dennis Rodman played his first seven NBA season in the Motor City. The two were hated by everyone – fans, players, coaches, you name it. They were physical and downright brutal. Rodman was a seven-time NBA rebounding champ. Laimbeer won the title once. Together, the pair won two NBA championships in Detroit…and they are still hated to this day.

O.J. SIMPSON

Who can forget the white Ford Bronco cruising along at 35 mph on those west coach highways. O.J. had set the single season rushing record with 2,003 yards in 1973. He was the NFL MVP that year and a five-time All-Pro. The Hall of Famer enjoyed a healthy endorsement portfolio and even tried his hand at acting.

In 1994, Simpson was arrested and subsequently tried for the murder of his former wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted of the murder, but a later civil trial awarded the families of Brown and Goldman a fortune. Those civil trial awards left little doubt as to the answer to the question, “did he do it?” It’s also why Simpson is among the world’s most hated athletes. The death of OJ

TERRELL OWENS

How about you get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the greatest receivers of all-time, but decide not to show up for your induction ceremony? Yeah, that was Owens, better known as T.O. His touchdown celebrations were ridiculous and the league just wasn’t ready for a personality like his. He offended too many people along the way and is considered one of the reasons why the Eagles were unable to win Super Bowl XXIX.

LANCE ARMSTRONG

Sports fans love successful athletes. What they love even more is when a successful athlete battles a hardship and overcomes it. That was Armstrong, a seven-time winner of the Tour de France. In 1996, Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer and still won the Tour duPont. In 1999, he began his run of seven straight in the Tour de France. 

Around the time of his last Tour de France win, it was reported that Armstrong was involved in a doping scandal. He denied all the rumors, of course. Then in 2013, he confessed that he had been doping to increase his chances of winning. That led to Armstrong becoming one of the world’s most hated athletes.

TOM BRADY

If you look at our list, you’ll see that these athletes all have one thing in common – they won a lot. There are tons of championships on this list and the guy with the most in his sport – seven Super Bowl rings – is next. Brady and his head coach Bill Belichick ran roughshod over the entire NFL for 20 seasons in New England. Then, he went to Tampa Bay where he won another Super Bowl.

There was the whole Spygate thing where Patriots staff would record opponents’ practices. Then, the Deflate-gate thing in 2015 led people to jump on the “Hate Brady” bandwagon. There was also Brady’s purchase of a yacht in 2020 where his company took a $1 million loan as part of the Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were questions about whether the loan was really needed. Oh well, just another reason to hate one of the NFL’s best.

CONOR MCGREGOR

McGregor was a fan favorite during his rise as an MMA fighter. McGregor then turned into a loudmouth declaring he would be remembered as the best middleweight fighter of all-time. Then, he ran into Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor disrespected everything about Khabib, including his religion. Wrong move.

McGregor got his tail whooped by Khabib but still kept the mouth running. He tried to at it with boxer Floyd Mayweather but got beat. Then, he lost another MMA fight to Dustin Poirier in UFC 264. McGregor is still feeling the wrath of the sports world.

MICHAEL VICK

Vick was one of the first “dual threat” quarterbacks in the NFL. He was electric with his feet and became the first black quarterback to be drafted No. 1 overall. Vick led the Atlanta Falcons to two deep playoff runs, became the first QB to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season, and finished 2nd for the 2004 NFL MVP award. 

Then came the dogfighting. In 2007, Vick was arrested as part of an illegal dogfighting ring. He spent some time in jail and was suspended by the NFL for two seasons. He was the NFL Comeback player of the Year in 2010, but his 18 months in jail and his treatment of “man’s best friend” leave Vick as one of the most hated athletes in sports.

DILLON BROOKS

Brooks has only been in the NBA for six years. This coming season will be his seventh and already he is among the most hated players of all-time. Just last season, Brooks referred to James as old during the Memphis-Los Angeles playoff series. Brooks was ejected from Game 3 of that series for giving James an elbow below the belt.

Memphis decided to unload Brooks who appears to be going right back to what he does best. Just four minutes and 33 seconds into his first game with the Houston Rockets, Brooks hit Indiana’s Daniel Theis where it counts. Brooks says he was setting a screen. The NBA thought otherwise and fined Brooks $25,000.

There are surely other hated athletes out there. Who did we miss?