The NBA in the 90s can almost be regarded as the most "personality" era.
Jordan, Barkley, O'Neal, Carl Malone, Big Dream, etc., all have their own unique labels, and among them is such a player who is well known to fans for his "madness": Latrile Sprewell.
Sprewell's draft picks were not high, and he was selected by the Warriors with the 24th pick in the first round of the 1992 (O'Neal) draft.
Although the pick was not high, he was a talented player in the NBA at that time.
In the second year of his rookie (93-94 season), Sprewell averaged 21 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 2.1 steals and 0.93 blocks per game, pressing the "human film essence" Wilkins, "Rain man" Payton and other big-name outside players were selected for the first team of the year.
At the same time, because of Sprewell's offensive and defensive style and exaggerated physical fitness, many media have called him "Mini Jordan".
But such a talented defender is an extremely grumpy "bad boy".
In the 96-97 season, Sprewell averaged 24.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game, which was a career high in assists and points, but the Warriors only achieved a record of 29 wins and 51 losses that season due to the departure of multiple players in the offseason.
The team's poor record, frequent empty cuts, coupled with the previous fine for being late for training, made Prewell's mood extremely anxious, and finally, on December 1, he completely broke out.
In the training hall that day, head coach P.J. Carlesimo scolded him for His attitude and prepared to cancel his chance to play for the rest of his time.
As the boss of the team, Sprewell must have been unhappy, and he tried to communicate with Calesimo, but the latter did not pay much attention to him.
So, Prewell, who had reached the limit of his patience, rushed up like a "mad dog" and choked Callesimo's neck for nearly 15 seconds or so.
20 minutes after his teammates took Sprewell out of the arena, he ran back again and punched Calesimo several times before giving up...
Since then, "Madman" has become a lingering title for Splendid.
The follow-up to the lock-throat incident was that Sprewell was suspended by the Warriors and sent to the New York Knicks.
The Knicks at that time were not like today, the Knicks in the 90s were the top team in the East, and Sprewell once again made fans recognize him as a talented player.
In the 98-99 season, in the case of Ewing's foot injury, Sprewell and the Knicks as the No. 8 seed in the East miraculously reached the NBA Finals that season, and in the 5 games against the Spurs in the Finals, the Madman averaged 26 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game, of which the score was second only to the Spurs Duncan.
If that Finals Knicks wins, it's definitely a season for madmen, alas, pity.
After moving to the Timberwolves in the 03-04 season, Sprewell also helped Garnett and the team reach the Western Conference Finals again.
In 6 games, he can also cut 20.8 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.5 steals, ranking third high in scoring by both teams.
At the end of the season, because of Sprewell's excellent playoff performance, the Timberwolves management offered him a three-year, 21 million contract extension.
This contract was actually quite generous at the time, but Prewell became "crazy" again, and he rejected the contract on the grounds that "it is not enough to support the family, it is better to retire".
In the 04-05 season, the 34-year-old madman's average points per game has dropped to 12.8 points per game, but the Timberwolves still provided him with a middle class with an annual salary of 5 million, and the madman still refused to drop it, and really did what he said, directly retired...
After retiring from the army, Sprewell squandered the money he earned in a few years and filed for bankruptcy, of course, this is all a later story.
Overall, although the madman is more grumpy, he is a real player who is born for the big scene, and the playoff statistics are often much better than his regular season.
As Jeff Van Gundy commented: "He's a first-class player, he's very educated, he's not selfish when he plays, and one of my favorite things about him is honesty, he says it straight, he doesn't go for a slap in the face.".
Sprewell is like this, what he said will definitely be honored, so the reason why he left the NBA is also to show his crazy nature.
Brothers, how much do you think crazy people can get in this era, and what data do you get?