All sports are highly competitive, but in recent weeks, headlines have been flooded with stories of conflicts in basketball. From the NBA to NCAA, basketball brings out the most personal of rivalries, for better or for worse. 

The most recent example of a basketball altercation was on the last day of the 22-23 NBA season. Timberwolves center, Rudy Gobert, punched his own teammate Kyle Anderson in a heated exchange during a timeout. It was later released that they were exchanging comments about their disappointment with each other’s performance during that pivotal game. This wasn’t even the only altercation between teammates that day. Clippers teammates, Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee, pushed and yelled at each other for similar reasons. 

In even more recent news, there has been debate online about a double standard between Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese. In the NCAA Women’s Basketball Final, LSU defeated Iowa and Reese mimicked Clark’s “You can’t see me” taunt from a previous game. 

Basketball will always be competitive and that should be encouraged. More competition means playing harder and a more exciting game, and who doesn’t love excitement.