“Who would win a fight between…and…?”
We have all asked this question at some point with our friends, whether in a group chat or in person.
Normally, we reserve this question for super heroes or fantasy characters like: Who would win in a fight between Superman and Thanos? Who would win in a fight between Thor and Wonder Woman? Who would win in a fight between Mario and Luigi? (A personal favorite!) And so on, and so on…
Occasionally, we venture into the real world with these hypothetical fights, but rarely do we ever enter into sports (outside of MMA, boxing, etc.). This is where one of my all time favorite questions comes into play: Who would win a fight out of everyone in the entire NBA?
The Criteria
To properly answer this question, I have created a seeded bracket of the top 15 *current* NBA players who I feel would be the best fighters. I chose each player and their seeding based on a simple set of criteria:
- If you were playing pick up against them and they came at you, trying to fight, how would you react?
- Are they physically imposing and intimidating?
- What is their playing style like on the court?
- Do they have any violent moments on/off the court?
- Are they Crazy?
The tournament itself will be played out in a Mortal Kombat style. Because, why not? This means that each matchup will be a hand to hand fight, no weapons or assistance involved. Knowing all that, lets get started.
Oh, the seeding.
Who are the 15 players?
I got you.
Okay, obviously there are a bunch of humans in the NBA. Most of these men are in the best shape out of anyone in the world. Let’s assume for this tournament, that these men are in the best shape of their careers. They are tall, fast, and strong; but a lot of them did not make the cut. Before we get to the 15 participants, here are the few who justtt barely missed out: Iman Shumpert, John Wall, Jae Crowder, Javale McGee, Lebron, Aron Baynes, Embiid, and Nenè,
- James Johnson*
- Serge Ibaka
- Udonis Haslem
- Steven Adams
- Demar Derozan
- Jimmy Butler
- Boban Marjanovic
- Pat Beverly
- Robin Lopez
- Russell Westbrook
- Draymond Green
- Giannis
- PJ Tucker
- Marcus Smart
- Lance Stephenson
*Seeing as I am an incredibly biased Miami Heat fan, I gave the #1 overall seed to the MMA fighter, James Johnson. Therefore, he gets a first round bye.
Round 1… FIGHT
8 Pat Beverly Vs. 9 Robin Lopez
Pat Beverly is the quintessential NBA agitator. Standing at a generous 6’1’’, Beverly would not seem to stand a chance against the 7 ft Lopez… but never discount his competitiveness and drive. From being undrafted, to playing in Europe, to being a starter on an upbeat Clippers team, Beverly has always had to fight for his success. His desire to win is his main priority, surpassing the rules of the game and well being of the opponent in front of him. During the 2013 playoffs, Beverly dove for a loose ball and tore Russell Westbrook’s meniscus in the process. Whether this was intentional or not is up to your interpretation. It doesn’t help that Beverly dove for the ball AFTER a timeout was called. Pat only knows one way to live, to fight with everything he has to win. Despite all this, Pat is going to lose to Robin Lopez. Players and Mascots alike, Robin Lopez is one of the most known fighters in the League.
If you need an education on it, watch below: Robin Lopez Vs. The World
Pat makes it difficult, but Lopez advances to Round 2.
Winner: Robin Lopez
4 Steven Adams Vs. 13 PJ Tucker
Poor PJ Tucker. Tucker is a strong dude, who would instill fear in most humans if he approached you angrily on the basketball court. But, this is Aquaman vs. a normal human… who do you think is going to win? Steven Adams is a human brick wall. He rarely shows emotion and has the strength to control the largest NBA players with minimal effort. Look at the fear in this man’s eyes when Adams came up on him: Aquaman Intimidation
That is real fear. I am not messing with that dude.
Winner: Steven Adams
5 Demar Derozan Vs. 12 Giannis
Giannis is not known as a fighter. I had other dudes included on this list that were your stereotypical NBA “fighters.” This title is normally reserved for scrappy guys who have been in multiple fights during their time in the league. Beyond an early playoff series with the Bulls, Giannis has not been in many altercations during his NBA career.
He is not a “fighter.” He is on this list because he just happens to be the most intimidating physical presence the league has seen in years. He is a freak athlete that physically dominates every court he steps on.
Demar Derozan is also physically imposing, just not on the same level as Giannis. He is here because of his perceived gang affiliations. No one messes with Derozan on the court because of these ties. Growing up in Compton, Derozan was surrounded by the Compton Crips. He still has these connections today. These connections do not help in this tournament.
Giannis has enough of a fiery nature behind his peak athleticism that we have our first upset of the tournament, if you can call it that.
Winner: Giannis
2 Serge Ibaka Vs. 12 Lance Stephenson
You’re probably wondering why is Serge Ibaka #2 on my seeding list. Me too. I didn’t want him to be that high. Recency bias has me wanting to kick him off this list and bench him like the Raptors did this year. A few nights ago, Joel Embiid threw around Ibaka like a rag doll in the post. He looked overmatched, over powered, and weak. Then why put him so high? Let’s ask Robin Lopez, Marquese Chriss, Matt Barnes, and Demarcus Cousins why he belongs so high? In fact, let’s ask our #1 Seed James Johnson why Serge Ibaka deserves to be so high on this list: Our Potential Championship Matchup
Holy Crap. James Johnson is a terrifying dude (More on that later…) and Ibaka does even FLINCH when he pushes him. Ibaka has straight up punched dudes just for looking at him the wrong way. He is one of the best fighters in the NBA and is not hesitant to show anyone who is willing to instigate anything. This is an easy dub over “Make em’ dance Lance”
Winner: Serge Ibaka
7 Boban Vs. 10 Westbrook
This is probably my favorite first round matchup. Boban Marjanovic is a monster of a man. His hands alone are probably larger than my torso. He can dunk without jumping! He is a 7’3” giant who should be a villain in a movie. Oh, wait! He already is! He is currently slated to be a bad guy in the new John Wick movie.
If you’re following our site, you know that I have already written stuff on Russell Westbrook. He is an enigma. One night he could be the best player in the world, but more often than not he is the reason that your team is losing. He is a blur of athleticism, strength, and competitiveness. A different sort of monster compared to Boban. Russ will overwhelm you physically both offensively and defensively.
Boban is HUGE, but he is slow. Not to bring basketball strategy into an article about a fighting tournament, but Boban is constantly exposed for not being fast on the court. He is a liability in today’s NBA and struggles to stay on the court because of his lack of speed. I think this matchup takes a while to finish, but we have our second upset of the day.
Winner: Russell Westbrook
3 Udonis Haslem Vs. 14 Marcus Smart
Prepare yourself for a bunch of biased Heat fan nonsense. Udonis Haslem is Miami. Not Dwyane Wade – Udonis Haslem. He was born and raised in the ghettos of Miami and attended Miami High. He left for the University of Florida, and a quick stop in Europe, before getting signed as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Heat in 2003. He has been our enforcer ever since. He symbolizes the culture of the real Miami: grit, harsh nature, loyalty, and unique style. This culture oozes out of his actions… including his fighting. Haslem defends his teammates. He is loyal to a fault. This is the Miami in him: Heat Culture.
Marcus Smart brings a similar mentality to the Boston Celtics. Grit, Loyalty, passion… He embodies those for his Celtics squads. He may be a biiittt more athletic than Udonis, but by no means is he the Celtics enforcer. He also does not instill the same amount of fear and respect that Udonis seems to bring to the table. In the end, Udonis’ strength and size wins him this fight.
Winner: Udonis Haslem
6 Jimmy Butler Vs. 11 Draymond Green
The ugliest match up of the first round. What a bloodbath this fight would be. Have you seen Captain America Civil War? This battle is going to look like the final battle between Iron Man and Captain America. Both men are going to be broken, beaten, and battered by the end. Draymond is a proven winner. He is willing to do anything to win, even kick you in the nuts. Jimmy is the same. He wants nothing but to win. We can’t forget, he led the third stringers to victory against the starters before he was traded away from the Timberwolves. He is a leader and demands excellence from himself and his teammates. Sadly, that doesn’t matter here.
After the bloodbath, Draymond’s size wins out.
Winner: Draymond Green
Second Round
1 James Johnson Vs. 9 Robin Lopez
Our #1 Seed finally makes an appearance! We mentioned the fighting prowess of Robin Lopez earlier, it will not be an easy win for James Johnson. But, holy crap. James Johnson is terrifying. 6’8”, tattoos from head to toe, and an MMA fighter. James Johnson is not someone who you would want to fight. According to an interview with CBS Sports last year, he claims he can roundhouse kick a basketball that is stuck between the backboard and the rim. That. Is. Insane. Sorry, Robin. Enjoy fighting Mascots.
Winner: James Johnson
4 Steven Adams Vs. 12 Giannis
Unstoppable force meet immovable object. Giannis meets his match in Aquaman. Giannis may be strong and fast, but as mentioned before, Adams is a brick wall. I can see Adams absorbing anything Giannis throws at him with a smirk on his face and then dishing it right back to him. Giannis may be the Greek Freak, but he cannot physically dominate this matchup.
Winner: Steven Adams
2 Serge Ibaka Vs. 10 Westbrook
Former Thunder teammates reunite in NBA Mortal Kombat. Westbrook may be the better basketball player, but Serge is the better fighter. Westbrook snuck by last round because of the lack of speed from Boban, Serge does not have this problem. Serge is long, quick, and strong.
Watch the below fight compilation: Serge Can FIGHT
Serge wins this matchup easily.
Winner: Serge Ibaka
3 Udonis Haslem Vs. 11 Draymond Green
Draymond got by with his size last round, not this time. Udonis out muscles and grinds Draymond in this matchup. Bye, Draymond.
Winner: Udonis Haslem
Semi-Finals
1 James Johnson Vs. 4 Steven Adams
If Giannis is not supposed to beat Steven Adams, how is James Johnson going to? When approaching this semi-final matchup that was fresh in my mind. The Greek Freak couldn’t beat him straight up and James Johnson is not as physically intimidating as he is. What James Johnson does have, is professional training in fighting. Steven Adams may be a brick wall who can absorb and dish out pain like no other, but he does not know how to fight professionally. Because of James Johnson’s background in the MMA, he takes this semi-final.
Winner: James Johnson
2 Serge Ibaka Vs. 3 Udonis Haslem
I think my homer bias isn’t going to get me past this one. Haslem may have a special place in my heart, but Ibaka is the more feared and better fighter. It hurts me to say it, but…
Winner: Serge Ibaka
Championship Round… FINISH HIM!
1 James Johnson Vs. 2 Serge Ibaka
(OUR CHAMPIONSHIP ALMOST ACTUALLY HAPPENED)
Click here to go back and see how close our championship matchup almost happened in real life. Awesome. We have the two best fighters in the NBA (In my opinion) about to throw hands. Most dudes are too scared to stand up to James Johnson. While watching him with the heat over the last few years, you notice how little physical altercations he gets into. No NBA player ever wants to mess with him. James plays a physical style of basketball and irritates some players occasionally. Those dudes never do anything about it. The only one who was close, was Ibaka. In that clip above, Ibaka does NOT back down when James Johnson steps up to him. Ibaka has never been known to back down from anyone, but if there was anyone to back down to its James Johnson.
This fight is going to be legendary. Ibaka is a beast, who has whooped multiple dudes throughout the League. James Johnson is a badass with an undefeated MMA record. In a fight that I would pay to see, I think James Johnson’s fighting background comes out on top. Go Heat.
OVERALL NBA FIGHTING CHAMPION
James Johnson
