The Lakers long history of success stems back to the very beginning of the NBA, when the team was based in Minneapolis. Some of the greatest players in the history of the NBA have played for the Lakers. The list is impressive: Elgin Baylor, Earvin Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, all of whom lit up the basketball scoreboards in Los Angeles.
They have had some kind of success in almost every decade, appearing in the NBA Finals at the very least once every ten years, and they have won the great prize in 6 of the 8 decades of the NBA.
One way or another, the Lakers usually get the players they want, and many of these players have been some of the most controversial and disliked of their eras. Abdul-Jabbar, Chamberlain, Bryant and others did not act in a way that endeared them to NBA fans.
On top of this, the Lakers’ last 9 championships have been won under 2 of the most successful and the most hated coaches ever to work in the NBA. Pat Riley has moved around the NBA and has always been successful. His slicked-back hair makes him look something like Gordon Gecko from Wall Street, and unfortunately Riley has made a lot of enemies among NBA fans. Phil Jackson doesn’t get much love either from the fans. He has led the Lakers to their last 5 titles, and high persona of a ‘Zen master’ has riled many people. Some fans claim that despite his successes, he is somewhat overrated as a coach. He has never won the NBA without such players at his disposal as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen or Bryant.
The Lakers are currently the two-time defending champion, and are set to be as powerful a force as ever next season. Outside of Los Angeles, they also look set to be almost as universally disliked as ever.
Outside of New York and Chicago, few people used to pay much attention to Miami Heat, and even fewer had feelings of animosity to them. New Yorkers disliked them due to their fighting over a few post-season series, and they have been hated in Chicago, since the Heat’s James Posey committed a set of flagrant fouls.
Miami, however, have now angered NBA fans like never before. Although many teams were hoping to get a big free agent this summer, only one team has landed 3 of the biggest free agents.
The Heat are going to get a lot of flack next year. When they play away next year, many fans are going to give them the boo treatment. Most basketball fans will be hoping that the Heat fail, and that the scoreboards show that their summer transfer saga has backfired. What is for sure, is that outside of Miami they won’t have many fans.
So who is the most hated team? Well, for sure the Lakers have been the most riled team over the years, largely as a result of their persistent success, but after the transfer sagas of this summer, this year the Heat might well take their place, and many fans outside of Miami will be desperate to see them fail.
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