Mad Dog's A-List: Toughest NBA players include Kobe & MJ 👀 | First Take 

People be roasting Mad Dog but there's gonna come a time when we're old af and the kids of that generation won't even know or care about guys like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, etc.

Mad dog got that 70s-80s sports commentator voice/ cadence

Mad Dog seems to genuinely make SAS bust up laughing every time he's on the show. They have great chemistry.

1:15 Mad Dog “remember that time where he passed the ball sliding and called a timeout in 74?” No tf we don’t Doggie you’re the only one old enough to remember 😂😂 respect to him for always holding it down for the OGs

Elvin Hayes Played 16 seasons and missed only 9 games. Also was a workhorse averaging between 37-45 minutes per game in 14 of those seasons. The Anti Anthony Davis/Kawhi Leonard. The fact that he was a big men doing it and not paid millions of dollars is even more impressive.

The Rodman disrespect in this list is unforgivable

How is Iverson not on this list dude was 160 driving relentlessly against the NBA when they’d pack the paint w actual centers and power forwards.

A lot of people in the comments section are saying this man is living in the 70s. Everyone needs to realize that the NBA has been around since before the last decade and a half. If anything, the last 2 decades of NBA play style has declined in toughness when you see the amount of fouls called. The NBA has been around 75+ years, it’s good to see someone on ESPN show some homage to many players of the past…

There's literally a whole chart out there detailing the amount of injuries Kobe played through. None of them might not be as famous as the flu game but Kobe played through A LOT. I think he gets it.

To be honest, I would put Bird on the list. He played through one of the most brutal eras in all of basketball. Was a champion and multiple time MVP. Talked so much trash. And along with that played injured with a broken back for years along with all of the other injuries he suffered through the Celtic laker rivalry.

Kobe & Mj were those dudes

As long as MJ and Kobe are on this list, i'm good 💪🐐

In terms of toughness…it’s Kobe over Jordan. Especially in terms of what we actually saw in terms of toughness. Torn Achilles, broken fingers, finished a game with one arm, disclocated shoulders, and the list goes on

rodman not being there was blasphemous... can guard all positions (just ask the likes of magic, mj, shaq), was out-rebounding the entire league for almost a decade at 6'7, and all of this while being a party animal for a good chunk of his career

I mean when Kobe tears an Achilles and shoot a free throw is tough

I honestly like Mad Dog I’m young so you never hear much good about the really older players. He has me searching guys up that were much before my time and there’s great NBA knowledge there. Some of those guys were before their time but definitely not all .

Don't put Draymond Green!! LMAOO I love that shot Mad Dog took at DG.

At first I really disliked Russo but now I really like how he shows appreciation to the older legends we hear about the same guys, LeBron, Kobe, MJ, I do like how he brings up more of the more obscure players that not a lot people and the younger generation don’t know about

I really like when mad dog is on here .. he gives us a different perspective and try to teach us some things but a lot of ppl don’t listen and think they know everything .. the man has literally watched more sports longer than some of us have been born .. but I can say sometimes he goes too far with the old school lol

Ben and Rasheed Wallace and Rodman should be there. That's my top 5. That duo for the pistons was the reason the Lakers lost that year which made kobe and shaq separate. Rodman one of the reason why the bulls were and still are the best record in the season that led to winning a championship. He pissed off alot of people and psyched opponents out with his taunts and physical tenacity. Honorable mentions which maybe I'd replace would Rasheed for Isiah Thomas. That man was the epitome of the bad boys. The reason why Jordan hates him to this day and why he had to elevate his game many years to beat them. Cuz Isiah toughness on defense and just despising his opponents on the court made him the most hated by opponents.

"Draymond Green is not Kevin McHale" mad dog's punchlines are hysterical

I knew it was gonna be a history lesson with this list lmfao

Mad Dog is the only one that can hold his own in a yell off with Stephen A

I’m in my 20’s lol and mad dog I swear be having me researching players every time he talks lmfao

finally Kobe getting some love in anything

Basketball in the 70s, 80s and 90s was very physical. You could literally get in a fist fight and it MIGHT lead to a technical foul.

Isiah Thomas people!! The leader of the baddest team in nba history and let’s not forget that finals game where he went down and fought through the pain to score 25 in a quarter with a sprained ankle.

I love how madd dog keeps these guys from the old days name alive 💯💯💯💯

Kobe is tougher than mj

Mad Dog hasn’t watched a game since 1990

There is no way Isiah Thomas isn't on this list. Dude played a whole game with a broken ankle & was fist fighting with Karl Malone

This is actually a solid list ngl. I had to do my homework on Gus Johnson, but I can see why he put him in there

i dig the mental toughness but to be real i would have rodman oakley mason laimbeer and barkley . guys were intimidated by them period maybe not so much rodman for intimidating but his defensive presence and rebounding for sure. offensive mentalist jordan number 1 kobe 2nd bird 3 zeke 4th and shaq 5th or wilt either order

Rodman was also tough. Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Wilt, Shaq. There were a lot of tough guys

That Gus Johnson putback dunk in the highlights was really nice 👌

Prime Kawhi Leonard is slept on he’s a better defender than draymond imo

So happy that they cut Molly part from talking!!

Mad dog and Stephen A always got me dying lmaoo

You've got to find a spot for Bird on that list. One example: in a 1991 Playoff Series against the Pacers, his back was in such bad shape that he spent night between games in the hospital, where he was put in traction. Chuck Person, knowing Bird was in excruciating back pain, would pound on his back whenever he was guarding him. In one of the games, he was diving for the ball and slammed his face on the floor, breaking his cheekbone; he went to the locker room, and returned shortly thereafter. Bird finished that game with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Mad Dog got me crying man 😭💯

This is my first time seeing mad dog. He has great chemistry with Stephen A, based on my first impression.

I don’t know any of these players besides Kobe, MJ 😂 only Mad Dog would fill up a list with 3/5 pre 1980’s players.

I love mad dog sas just loves having him on you can tell. No one knows sports history like doggie!

the face when mad dogg mentioned gus johnson lol

Stephen A dressed like a principal😂😂

Where are Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn?

Love Mad dog has made first take watchable

i literally was oprahside not less than a second Stephen A already making my day just because this video LMAOOO 😂🤣🤣 0:31

How can anyone leave DENNIS RODMAN off this list ?! it's such a huge blunder that I'm not even gonna address KG not being on the list.

Don't ever disrespect Rodman like this

It's kinda good for TV tho Madd Dog mentioning older players. Most of these players ya'll never heard of so its a learning experience.

Great list! Michael and Kobe could be interchangeable on this list but yeah, pretty strong list.

I love Mag Dog, giving us NBA History Lessons every time

How is Bill Lambeer or Charles Oakley not on this list. Along with Rodman.

You know what, as hot a take Mad Dog takes. I’m glad he’s shining a light on some of these other players I know nothing about. I love the game that I just like watching how the game has evolved.

I love Mad Dog! Great entertainment

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Derrick Rose. Dude was a thrill to watch and he attacked that rim like it owed him money.

I'd add Reggie Miller...barely missed games...ran into BRICK WALLS every night coming off those screens...Reggie Miller.

Good point about Rodman...The Worm made it an art form.

At least when mad dog talks about players that I have never heard of because it's before my time I get to learn something new. Also it's nice for him to at least bring up other sports more than just football and basketball. PS I would put on A.I in on this list for me, admittedly that's my own personal bias. Ben & Rasheed could easily be honest list too if they want to talk about fist fights 🤣

If this list is about the toughest players of all time, then where’s Ben Wallace on that list. To me I believe that he’s one the strongest and toughest players of all time, and was a force of nature on the defensive side. Also what about Shaq too?

SAS said he can’t touch Mad Dog’s list when it come to enforcers…when “big time” enforcers like Jordan and Bryant top the list. 😂

Love the Kobe shout out but id also add Allen Iverson...the dude weighed like 109 pounds and was beast

AC Green played like 1,700 games straight. Most of that in LA... ...and he never slept with a Laker Girl. *That's Tough*

Someone please tell me I'm not the only one who didn't know who Gus Johnson was 😂

Mad Dog is still living in the 70s and 80s most of the time.

Idk if any of those players compete with Ron Artest, Ben Wallace, Demarcus Cousins, Jermaine O’Neal, Shaq, Tony Allen, Bill Laimbeer, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, etc

I love watching these two. Hilarious.

No way Draymond makes a top 5

Iverson is top 5 toughest player. Period. Leaving him off is crazy.

I guess his list is based on who will fight during the game. Where is Ben Wallace? Where is Dennis Rodman? Where is Charles Oakley?

John Stockton would be on my top five for this category, considering his longevity WITHOUT load management.

Iverson could be there and even Lebron because of the many times he rolled his ankle or was hurt unknowingly to the public and he still played. Kobe most definitely, but when we consider Mental toughness we need to redefine it when it comes to basketball.

If we’re talking mentally and physically then these are my top 5: #5 Tim Duncan #4 Dennis Rodman #3 Magic Johnson #2 Kobe Bryant #1 Michael Jordan The most difficult one to leave off was Bill Russell because he at one point was the player/coach, dealt with racism on & off the court within his own fan base, and was unstoppable during his time.

This list is proof I’m not old enough to mess with Mad Dog. I’m thinking Bad Boy Pistons, Oakley, Artest, Mourning… he broke out Dave Cowens and Gus Johnson. He got it. 😂😂

Isiah Thomas, Wes Unseld, Kobe, Bird, MJ. Honorable mention to DWade & Cowens

Kobe was tougher than Jordan

Gimmie Ben Wallace any day. Stone cold thug on the court

This is a loaded question because how can you really judge toughest alotta players we're tough but never got noticed

You can’t help but love this manic lmao

Teezy’s A- List toughest players of all time Jordan ( no debate) Kobe (no debate) Curry (man gets bear hugged off the ball. People step under his 3 pt attempts no foul. Knocked to the ground every time he drives no foul. Still comes out and performs ) Bird Dirk ( 2011 playoff alone puts him on the list)

Mad dog was good at first but now I’m getting tired of him and his prehistoric references

This list is bulletproof

1- Kobe( playing game 7 with a broken finger and shooting a free throw on a torn achilles) 2- Dave Cowens( for the reason Russo stated) 3- Nate Thurmond ( missed fewer games than anyone else ) 4- Isiah Thomas ( shortest player to ever impact winning as well as playing on an injured hip in the finals against the Lakers 5- Paul Pierce ( gets stabbed multiple times and reports to training camp 2 months later not missing a single in the season that followed )

“Who’s this dead guy on my list you ask. Go ask this other dead” 💀 😅

Call me casual but I swear is the first time I've heard about the last 2 guys in the list, Dave and Gus Johnson and the 3rd guy I kinda new it cause of the 30 for 30 documentary 'Free Birds' about the spirit of St. Lois and I've been watching and playing ball since 1998 and studying the game like JJ said, watching old games and series, still have work to do I guess lol cause doggy really goes way back

This is Dog's best list

Gosh this guy love the 1920 basketball

Bring these Mad Dog A List back in 2024

Any older era player smokes modern day dudes in fights. A lot of teams literally trained boxing/karate back than because fighting was so prominent. 🤣🤣

I only watch FT when Mad Dog is on...these 2 got great chemistry...meanwhile JJ is always in his feelings debating topics (just watch get up segment earlier today)..he might wanna stick to his podcast.

Horace Grant, Oakley, Lambeer, Shaq, Rodman

First time Mad finally made a good top 2 choice👍💪

Y’all go look at how many years played and how many games John Stockton missed. That’s all I will say. It’s insane.

I don't know about these kinds of lists. There are tons of tough players that it just doesn't seem right to not mention in a conversation like this. AC Green who played almost 1200 consecutive games without missing a game. Dennis Rodman who was outrebounding absolute legends like Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson, who were half a foot taller than him and way stronger. 6'7" 210 lbs and he lead the league in rebounds for 7 consecutive years during an era of legendary centers. John Stockton who almost never missed a game, and who broke his leg in practice for the Olympics and didn't miss a single game, coming back to play every game in the Olympics 33 days later, and continued on to play every game of the NBA season afterwards. Larry Bird, who played for several seasons with his back so messed up that most people would have never left their couch, and didn't even take any pain killers, and was one of the best shooters of all time despite having his forefinger on his shooting hand permanently disfigured very early in his career. Wilt Chamberlain who averaged more than 48 minutes a game for an entire season. The dude literally played every single minute for an entire season. Guys today will almost never play every minute of an entire game, and if they do they're so exhausted at the end that they can't finish and end up hurting their team. It just feels like if you can't find time to mention these guys in the conversation, then your list of "toughest NBA players" feels completely empty to me. I don't even know if I agree with MJ on this list. I certainly don't think I'd put him at #1. MJ was the greatest to ever play. But the toughest? I remember him sitting out games with an ingrown toenail. He was certainly tough on the court, no doubt. And he didn't miss games too often. But the toughest of all time? I don't think so. I'm not saying the man was soft. He was super tough. And I'm sure he would have shown up for a finals game even if he died in a plane crash on the way to the game. I just think there are people that were tougher. Kobe for sure. He holds the record for most points ever scored with a torn achilles tendon. I remember him playing whole seasons with busted fingers. And Draymond Green doesn't hold a candle to any of these guys. Draymond takes games off for rest days fairly regularly. He's only played 82 games once in his career, when he was 23, and then he was only playing 22 minutes a game. None of these guys I mentioned would ever take a game off unless they were very seriously injured and there was no possible way they could play. Frankly, I don't think anybody in the modern NBA is really all that tough compared to guys like this. I honestly don't think this is just some retro "back in my day" kind of thing. I honestly think that today's NBA players are kinda soft. The modern league pampers its players. There's almost no way a modern NBA player could be as tough as these retro guys because the league today is just not as tough on the players as it was back then. The culture today is me first. Think about yourself first, and your career second, and your team third. I don't think anybody who started their career after around 2000 can even be in this conversation.

Gotta love doggy 😂😂 he not letting his era die off yo 😂😂😂

I like Mad Dog, he's a true historian of the game.

The baseball guy lmao

Mad Dog is from a different era. But respect to his opinions

If Jordan on a list. Kobe should be in that list. Media throw shade on kobe but they finally gave him some love