Great Moments in NBA Flopping

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Oct 16, 2012

Great Moments in NBA Flopping

LeBron James

The NBA will penalize flopping for the 2012-13 season with fines that increase in severity for repeat offenders. While waiting to see whether this new initiative will have an impact, we decided to look back at some great moments in flopping history. *** Game 1 of Miami's first-round series against New York sparked a classic flopping rant from ABC commentator Jeff Van Gundy, who is easily the most ardent opponent of the NBA's flops. During the second quarter, LeBron ran into a Tyson Chandler pick "so hard" that his arms flailed in the air and he dropped to the floor. Chandler was hit with a flagrant foul, while LeBron took heat for his obvious flop. Van Gundy's response: "Oh, come on! What kind of league are we becoming if that's a flagrant foul?"

James Jones

JVG's greatest flopping rant came in another Miami win over the Knicks. Van Gundy took issue with a foul on James Jones, in which he clearly flopped (as pictured, Jones did this last year against the Knicks, too). Van Gundy didn't hold back during the telecast, going as far as to say, "We're paying the commissioner like $25 million! He can come up with a solution [to end flopping]!"

Raja Bell, Manu Ginobili

Bell and Ginobili have both mastered the art of flopping, so it was a real treat when they stepped it up and engaged in a double flop.

Manu Ginobili

But this may be the greatest Manu flop EVAR!

LeBron James

If you'll recall, this little acting job by James -- he looked like he was dying despite never being touched -- sparked another highly entertaining and, well, awesome, Van Gundy rant during the 2011 Eastern Conference finals.

James Harden

Harden was supposedly barreled over by Tyson Chandler in Game 3 of the 2011 Western Conference finals, but it was such a blatantly obvious flop that the NBA rescinded the technical on Chandler.

Paul Pierce

A step-by-step guide to flopping, as shown by Pierce.

J.R. Smith, Raja Bell

Another double flop, courtesy of Smith (then with the Nuggets) and, of course, Bell. We encourage you to watch the clip in slo-mo . It's truly spectacular.

Anthony Parker

Uhh ...

Brian Cardinal

The Janitor, aka Brian Cardinal, is notorious for flopping, but even for him this one is a little outrageous.

Brian Cardinal, Dwyane Wade

Cardinal continues to fall, Wade ... who knows what Wade is doing ... and Jason Terry is just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. But the best part about this play in the 2011 Finals: Jason Kidd, on the far left, just kinda standing there laughing at the whole scene.

Derek Fisher

Fisher flops. What else is new?

Nene

This flop in particular raises a question we'd love an answer to: Who decided that, to make a fall look real, your head has to flail back? Nene, you just look ridiculous.