NBA Player Has the Best Reaction Ever to Getting Ejected

NBA player Larry Sanders earned two technical fouls during his Milwaukee Bucks' Wednesday night game against the Washington Wizards. The second technical led to an automatic ejection, which Sanders handled in historic fashion.

He didn't get in the ref's face even more. He didn't throw a fit while leaving the court. He didn't whine like a spoiled child. Instead, he gave an exaggerated, sarcastic thumbs-up to each of the game's three refs before swaggering off into the sunset (as it were). Well played, Larry. Well played indeed. Check out the video above to see for yourself.

1. 1. Handball Player Drops His Shorts and, Uh, Does Other Things Too

   This Italian handball player instantly entered the pantheon of all-time sports meltdowns recently when he, shall we say, overreacted to a sarcastic peck from an antagonistic opponent.

2. 2. "I'm a F#$%in' Soldier!"

   Kellen Winslow, Jr. delivers a historic rant after a controversial block when he was a star tight end at the University of Miami in 2003. His ever-so-quotable final line is pure unintentional/angry comedy gold.

3. 3. "I'm a Man! I'm 40!"

   Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy was defending one of his players from negative press coverage in 2007 when he delivered this immortal quote. His full rant (Google it) actually makes some good points about media coverage of college athletes; but this mini-clip boils the speech down to its glorious essence.

4. 4. Larry Sanders Flips Out

   Lemme at 'em! Lemme at 'em! Milwaukee Buck Larry Sanders was ready to fight the entire Indiana Pacers team in April, running around practically the entire court in a brief fit of blind rage.

5. 5. The Classic Bobby Knight Chair Throw

   Coaching icon and current ESPN analyst Bobby Knight's temper is the stuff of legend. This clip shows his pièce de résistance, which went down in 1985.

6. 6. Coach to Coach: "When I See You, I'm Gonna Kick Your Ass!"

   Current University of Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari often rubs people the wrong way. Never was that more evident than during this 1994 press conference, when rival coach John Chaney had to be restrained from physical violence. Among Chaney's best quotes from the tiff: "I'll kill you," "I'm gonna kick your ass" and something about his kids hitting Calipari's kids in the mouth.

7. 7. "They Are Who We Thought They Were!"

   You know a podium meltdown is pretty solid when it inspires its own commercial. Here's Dennis Green's 2006 rant following a bad loss by his Arizona Cardinals to the Chicago Bears. It was later recut as part of a Coors Light ad and goes down as one of the all-time podium tirades, sports or otherwise.

8. 8. John McEnroe, Master of the Genre

   Former tennis star John McEnroe has put together as impressive a body of whiney mid-match tantrums as anybody out there. Here's just one of his many gems.

9. 9. No, Seriously, John McEnroe Is the Worst/Best

   This McEnroe meltdown may be even better because of his stylin' outfit and hair. The petulance! The indignation! A true artist is at work here, and the only hissy-fitter to earn two spots on this list.

10. 10. Wally Backman Is Bleeping Bleeped Off

    Former New York Met Wally Backman was managing the minor league South Georgia Peanuts (what a name, right?) when he threw this major league fit. The remarkable audio quality, his giggling dugout and his final line really make for an astonishing performance.

11. 11. He Throws the Rosin Bag Like a Grenade!

    Backman's meltdown may set a high bar for NSFW language, but Atlanta Braves minor league manager Phillip Wellman had him beat on creativity points. Without a doubt, the best part is his military crawl toward the pitcher's mound and subsequent grenade toss of the rosin bag.

12. 12. Brian Wilson Narrates the Anatomy of a Meltdown

    Skip to the 2:05 mark of this video. That's when Brian Wilson — the San Francisco Giants great, weird and downright Galifinakian closer — narrates one of his better dugout freak-outs.

13. 13. Jim Everett Takes Out Jim Rome

    Jim Rome is a douche, and sometimes douches have to be called out. In 1994, NFL quarterback Jim Everett was just the man for the job. Appearing on Rome's ESPN2 show, Everett charged and tackled the pundit after Rome insisted on calling him "Chris" Everett, referring to the female tennis player, Chris Evert.

14. 14. Hockey Coach Goes Into Hulk Hogan Mode

    Jim Playfair, coaching a Canadian minor league hockey club, loses all control in this hilarious clip. One anchorman in this video compares the performance to WWF legend Hulk Hogan, and we find that to be apt analysis.

15. 15. Now This is How You Rush the Mound

    In 2001, Izzy Alcántara put his own personal twist on the old-fashioned mound rush...

16. 16. Dennis Rodman Head-Butts a Ref

    Dennis Rodman was known for being a strange guy on and off the NBA court. This is one of his more famous incidents. He borderline head-butts a ref, then whips off his jersey before finally leaving the court. As the end of this video shows, Bulls coach Phil Jackson found the incident nearly as funny as the rest of us.

17. 17. Zidane's Historic Head-Butt

    Rodman has nothing on French soccer star Zinedine Zidane, though. Zidane's split-second meltdown and savage head-butt of Italian defender Marco Materazzi near the end of the 2006 World Cup Final marked an ignominious end to a storied career.

18. 18. Hal McRae Chucks a Phone

    McRae was managing the Kansas City Royals in 1993 when he snapped at reporters, cursing at them and chucking a phone off his desk. It's pretty much all anyone knows McRae for today.

Homepage image courtesy Flickr, Keith Allison