Los Angeles Lakers: The most hated players, according to Laker fans

We wanted to do a bit of a social experiment. We took out to Twitter and asked out followers which player they think is the most hated by fans of the Los Angeles Lakers. We collected the results to put in one, comprehensive article, explaining the likely reason for the hate.

Now, this sample size is definitely not indicative of the entire fanbase, but there were some trends in the responses to put together five players that appear to be hated by at least a portion of the fanbase.

Some players are probably going to be left off, and you might not personally hate anyone on this list. The best part of sports fandom? It is completely subjective.

The most hated players by Los Angeles Lakers fan:

1. Patrick Beverley

Patrick Beverley had, by far, the most responses of any player. Beverley was brought up several times, sometimes being the only player that someone mentioned while other times being the most hated player among several that were named.

So why do Laker fans hate Patrick Beverley? Well, first, it is already easy to dislike the defensive-minded point guard if you are not a fan of the team that he plays for. Similar to Draymond Green, Beverley can be a pest on the defensive end and has mastered the art of getting under people’s skin.

Laker fans definitely are not the only fans that feel this way towards Beverley, but it is easy to see why he was the most popular response as he plays for the rival Los Angeles Clippers.

2. Kawhi Leonard

Again, another Los Angeles Clipper player and that definitely factors into part of the reason why there is disdain towards Leonard. This is really the first time in the history of both franchises that they are legitimate title contenders at the same time and this has caused a rivalry not even so much between the two teams, but the two fanbases.

Clipper fans claim that the Lakers’ time is up, Laker fans have a simple response: you cannot talk smack until you actually win something.

Obviously, the Lakers have the upper hand, even if Clipper fans want to tout the talent on the roster. Leonard is the figurehead of that roster, so he naturally garners some disdain.

It does not stop there, though, as Leonard spurned the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency over the summer, which at the time, seemingly impacted their roster negatively.

The Lakers held out for Leonard, who took the longest of any star free agent to sign and signed with the Clippers. While it ended up working out for the Lakers, at the time, it appeared as if the Lakers missed out on the best role players of the offseason because of Leonard’s long decision-making process.

3. Paul George

Paul George is hated by Laker fans for the exact same reason as Kawhi Leonard, and I am surprised that his name was not brought up more than Leonard’s, as the disdain for George has lasted longer than Leonard.

On top of being the second star of the Clippers, for several years George was rumored as the first superstar that would come to the Lakers to kickstart the team’s winning ways again. And when he had the chance to sign with the Lakers, he instead decided to return to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

George was always connected to the Lakers as his hometown team and then when he was traded to the Clippers they suddenly became his hometown team, with the Lakers being painted as this big evil entity.

George said he grew up a Clippers fan, but some of his old tweets, and old quote of him saying he pictured himself playing in a Lakers jersey as a kid, seems to contradict that statement. That flip-flopping between the two LA teams fuels the disdain towards him.

4. James Harden

This one was interesting and I do not think it is so much of James Harden being a direct rival of the Los Angeles Lakers, but instead being one of the most disliked players in the league because of the hype that is around him.

Most, if not all, NBA fans respect and appreciate Giannis Antetokounmpo and the hype that is around him. However, unless you are a Rockets fan, chances are that you are not a fan of Harden.

The disdain likely comes from the style of isolation basketball that Harden plays that is not fun to watch as well as his tendency to flop and get favorable calls in the regular season to get to the line and pad his stats.

It does not help that there has been a legitimate conversation about Harden being a better shooting guard than Kobe Bryant, which is just disrespectful to Laker fans, as Kobe would never resort to the scoring methods that Harden used.

5. (The wild card) LeBron James

This is interesting. LeBron James is on the Los Angeles Lakers. However, that did not stop him from getting several mentions in the responses to the tweet.

One fan stated that he has always had disdain for LeBron as since he came to the league he was always painted as being better than Kobe, the same situation as Harden. That fan says he appreciates LeBron’s game and his greatness, but there was hatred there before he was a Laker.

Another response simply claimed that LeBron would have easily taken the cake if he was wearing any other jersey, and I think that is the perfect response. Prior to the 2018 season, this would have been a landslide vote for LeBron James.

The LeBron-Kobe, fan-manufactured rivalry, was strong before LeBron became a Laker, leading to a lot of disdain towards LeBron. While most fans have accepted him since, I will never forget the time I was in a sports store and heard a Laker fan tell the sales associate “I will never support LeBron, I don’t care how many rings he wins in LA.”

If LeBron never does win a championship in Los Angeles and eventually leaves the team for whatever reason, then you bet the King will take his spot back on the throne of the most hated player by Los Angeles Lakers fans. If he wins a ring then it will be interesting to see how fans remember his legacy with the team.