Insane NBA Tales: Legends & Highlights Uncovered

1. The NBA Player Who Tried to Hire a Hitman on His Coach: Spencer Haywood

Spencer Haywood was an Olympic gold medalist, an ABA MVP, and a key player for the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 1980s. However, his career took a dark turn due to a severe cocaine addiction. In the 1979-80 season, his issues became unmanageable, and Lakers coach Paul Westhead eventually kicked him off the team during the NBA Finals.

What happened next is truly shocking. Haywood, in a moment of drug-fueled rage and desperation, contacted a Detroit mobster and attempted to hire a hitman to kill Westhead. He felt Westhead had destroyed his career and was a personal enemy. Thankfully, Haywood eventually sobered up and backed out of the plot before any harm was done. He later admitted the horrifying truth in his autobiography, revealing the extreme depths of his addiction and the lengths to which it drove him. It's a harrowing and little-known chapter in NBA history, showcasing the destructive power of substance abuse and the incredible pressure some players face.

2. The Free Throw "Happy Mother's Day": Kevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan

We all know about Kevin Garnett's legendary trash-talking and his relentless intensity. But one alleged incident takes the cake for its sheer audacity and coldness. The story goes that during a playoff game on Mother's Day in 1999, between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan was at the free-throw line. For those who don't know, Duncan's mother passed away from cancer the day before his 14th birthday.

As Duncan prepared to shoot, Garnett reportedly leaned in and wished him a "Happy Mother's Day." While Garnett has denied it, and the full extent of his knowledge of Duncan's past is debated, the sheer cruelty of the alleged remark, if true, highlights the cutthroat nature of some NBA rivalries and Garnett's reputation for getting under opponents' skin by any means necessary.

3. The Insomnia Injury: Moochie Norris' Unprecedented Sidelining

Injuries are a common part of basketball, from sprained ankles to torn ACLs. But in March 1999, Seattle Supersonics guard Moochi Norris made history with an injury listing unlike any other: he was sidelined due to insomnia.

Norris had reportedly struggled with chronic insomnia for nearly a decade, ever since his mother passed away around 1990. He was often operating on just one or two hours of sleep a night, and it finally caught up to him on the court. His shot fell off, his finishing crumbled, and his free-throw numbers plummeted. Coach Paul Westphal acknowledged that Norris simply needed rest, not practice. It was a groundbreaking moment, highlighting mental and neurological health as legitimate barriers to performance long before it was widely discussed in professional sports. Norris eventually returned to carve out a solid career, but his "insomnia injury" remains one of the most uniquely bizarre reasons for an NBA player to miss time.

These stories, whether completely true or embellished through years of retelling, offer a fascinating glimpse into the less-publicized corners of NBA history, proving that sometimes, the craziest tales happen off the court.