Who are the NBA's tough guys?

Next to the word enforcer in the dictionary should be “Oak’s” picture. Oakley may be the epitome of what tough meant in the 1990s’ NBA. He had a tough-guy rep around the league that no one questioned. Besides becoming good friends, there was a reason for Michael Jordan’s objection to the Chicago Bulls trading Oakley to the New York Knicks in 1988. He’d lost his bodyguard.

This duo from those Indiana Pacers teams of the 1990s knew their roles and executed them perfectly. Defend, rebound, and intimidate anyone that dared come into the paint. The Davises aren’t related, but their styles sure were similar and effective enough to make the Pacers one of the more brutally challenging teams of that era.

For a guy with the word ‘beer’ in his last name, watching Laimbeer and his “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons play in the 80s was more like watching a scheduled bar fight. Unlike some of the other names on this list, Laimbeer wasn’t only an irritant, but he also provided offense, scoring in the double digits for a good portion of his NBA career. He just also happened to like a good tussle every now and again.

Big Ben was the enforcer for version 2.0 of the Bad Boy Pistons that won the championship in 2004. Wallace was an undrafted player that went on to become a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. Ben’s menacing presence, toughness, and badass reputation kept most players from wanting to challenge him inside during the 2000s. Plus, the fact that he’d defend the hell out of you and block anyone’s shot standing only 6-foot-8 was another factor.

As a player, Wallace might be most infamously known as the king of the technical foul during his time in The Association. I’m pretty sure Sheed never met a referee he didn’t want to cuss out. But Wallace was more than an outlandish actor on the court. Wallace was a good defender and a potent scorer as well. He’d take opponents inside and drop buckets and could also take the ball outside and down trey’s when needed. Wallace was another player who never backed down, and a guy you wanted on your team. You knew Rasheed always had your back.

We often hear about there being no more enforcers in the NBA. Many fans and former players complain about today’s NBA product and claim it is softer than previous generations. While this may be true in some fashion, Draymond Green certainly qualifies as an enforcer for his Golden State Warriors. You may not agree with some of his antics or comments, but there is no denying that Green is one of the league’s toughest players today.

Formerly known as Ron Artest, the Queensbridge star was a beast on both ends of the floor during his early years. Artest would defend, and at times shut down, the opponent’s best offensive weapon, then drop 25 points of his own. Artest is still considered one of the best on-ball defenders the NBA has ever seen. If not for the infamous Malice at the Palace incident in 2004, Artest would have had an excellent case for the Hall of Fame. He was known as one of the players you didn’t really mess with back then.

Rodman may be the most out there when it comes to tough NBA players. Rodman imposed his will more mentally than physically during his prime. The crazy colored hair, the piercings, tattoos, fingernail polish, etc. These weren’t things NBA players were used to seeing, and Rodman used his entire persona to his advantage. It’s why he was known as The Worm. To say it worked would be an understatement. Dennis was able to take opponents out of their game mentally simply with his behavior. Rodman won five championships with his wild bad boy persona, and is still considered one of the greatest defenders and rebounders to this day.

The X-Man is one of the more underrated tough guys, but don’t let that fool you. McDaniel never backed down but, along with being a tough-minded player, could also score points for the teams he played on as well. While playing for the Seattle Supersonics early in his career, McDaniel was a 20-plus points per game scorer four years in a row. He’s also one of the few players who wasn’t afraid to get into with the likes of Charles Oakley. If that doesn’t show you his toughness, then nothing will.