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NY Knicks: The Reverse NBA Awards

By Avishai Sol

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 08: JaKarr Sampson #14 of the Indiana Pacers is seen during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 8, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - NOVEMBER 08: JaKarr Sampson #14 of the Indiana Pacers is seen during the game against the Detroit Pistons at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 8, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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NBA Awards
Jakarr Sampson, NBA awards. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

NBA Awards: The Charles Oakley Award For Most Altercations

  1. Jakarr Sampson
  2. Dwight Howard
  3. Markieff Morris

Whether you think it’s a good thing or a bad thing, this has been a pretty quiet year as far as NBA fights go. Maybe the drain of COVID world has people less riled up than they were, maybe the league is too buddy-buddy with each other to have many real fights, maybe we’ve been trending in this direction for years.  Still, we’ve had a few scrapes. Nothing worthy of invoking the name of the great Charles Oakley, but we’ll take what we can get.

Markieff Morris and JaKarr Sampson have pretty even claims to this award.  Both are tough guys, neither have the superstar pedigree to warrant protection from the refs, both play with their heads down and shoulders squared.

Jakkar takes the award because he headbutted Patty Mills in the face.  He’s gotten into it with Cleveland rookie Isaac Okoro too, Blake Griffin, but the go with Mills was the closest thing this season has had to somebody taking a swing at somebody.

The one wrinkle in this NBA Awards race is Dwight Howard. Howard, who has had more people shove him this year than anybody I can remember in any other, never seems to be the guy to start anything or retaliate. Howard has a history of being disliked by his fellow NBA players, but it’s never been fully explained why exactly. He’s not mean or crazy intense or politically incorrect. So what is it about Dwight that makes everyone from Giannis to Udonis Haslem want a piece of him? Who knows, but we can’t give an award named after Charles Oakley to a guy who never smacks anybody, regardless of how many people want to smack him.