Top 5 NBA players who refused to play for their team featuring Vince Carter, Dominique Wilkins, and more
Many analysts believe the NBA is currently in its "player empowerment" era. This is because there have been countless examples of players forcing their way into other teams despite being under contract.
While some might argue this is a more recent problem in the league, it has happened throughout history. Here are five examples of players who openly refused to play for their team.
#1 Dominique Wilkins
Kicking off this list is Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins. He went on to have a successful career as a high-flying forward in the 80's and 90's, but his journey in the NBA did not start off on the right foot.
Originally, Wilkins was drafted third overall in 1982 by the Utah Jazz. However, he made it clear that he would not be happy playing in Utah and wished to be moved. The organization wasted little time as he was dealt to the Atlanta Hawks before his rookie season even got underway.
#2 Steve Francis
Steve Francis followed a similar path to that of Dominique Wilkins. The three-time All-Star was selected second overall by the Grizzlies in the 1999 NBA draft, but quickly requested a trade. His reasoning for doing so involved being too far from his hometown, among other factors.
Francis was then part of a 11-player deal that landed him on the Houston Rockets. He played a total of 384 games for the Rockets across six seasons and averaged 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists.
#3 Vince Carter
When Vince Carter retired, he was greatly applauded for the work he did with younger teams in the final years of his career. However, there was a time when he was one of the most hated players in the league.
During the 2004 season, Carter requested a trade from the Toronto Raptors. He was unhappy with the direction the franchise was taking and wanted a change of scenery.
What led Carter to be hated so much among NBA fans was how he carried himself following the request. He openly showed a lack of effort and tanked his value in hopes of getting moved sooner.
The Raptors ultimately ended up trading him to the then New Jersey Nets.
#4 James Harden
Another example of an NBA superstar talent mailing it in on their franchise is James Harden. The former MVP has bounced around a lot in the past year, starting with his departure from the Houston Rockets.
Harden enjoyed a long stint in Houston between 2012 and 2021 before wanting to move on. Following failed experiments with Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, the franchise was heading towards a rebuild with younger players.
Their star guard, however, didn't want to be part of the re-tooling and wanted to be moved.
Harden was not shy about how unhappy he was at the end of his Rockets tenure. He showed up to camp out of shape and was clearly not giving his all in games. A few weeks later, it began causing problems in the locker room.
Houston eventually caved and traded him to the Brooklyn Nets in a mega-deal.
#5 Ben Simmons
Rounding out the list is the most recent example of an NBA star giving up on their team. Following a poor performance in the 2021 postseason, Ben Simmons informed the Philadelphia 76ers that he wanted a trade.
Daryl Morey patiently waited for a deal to surface, dragging the saga into the regular season. While Simmons waited to be traded, he purposely kept himself distanced from the rest of the team.
When the trade deadline rolled around, Morey managed to add another superstar trade to his resume. The 76ers held long discussions with the Brooklyn Nets before trading the disgruntled Simmons to reunite Morey with a familiar face in James Harden.