Which former players did you hate but now like?

[Nolan]

I was a big fan of KG when he was with the T-Wolves but now I absolutely hate him. Was never a big fan of Melo either but he's been growing on me lately.

[Jimmy76]

hated Jordon back in the day

whatever about him now

[Mamba Venom]

Hate is too strong of a word

But I didnt respect Nash when he was w/ Dallas. I thought he was over rated in a gimick system that featured other guys that made him look so good. But I LOVE Nash now and ever since he came to Pheonix.

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Malone was I guy I liked at first, then I warmed up to him, then he came here and I was excited, then after he retired I heard about what he did to his son and lost a lot of respect for him. Hate the Mom, but don't take it out on the kid. I love the hunting for little Mexican girls to FSN/KCAL sports. Malone had a bigger personality and more entertaining lines than Shaq late in his career

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Tim Duncan. I saw him drop 50 on the Lakers in 98 or 99 and he had the quietest 50 I have ever seen. But I remember having some super expensive seats over the years (thanks Mom) and sitting near the bench. I would listen to him talk in the late 90s and I thought there was just something wrong w/ this guy. I'm not saying anything bad about gay people at all, but I thought for sure he was a homosexual by the way he talked. When I say something wrong, I mean he seemed slightly autistic. But he has this ability to hone in on the game of basketball and has super focus. I love Duncan's game. I thought he was more like Rain Man but instead of playing piano, Duncan could straight up ball! I really admired that about Duncan, but sometimes you just get weirded out by guys that are so unique. For a few years I really respected Duncan but just kind of quivered when I listened to the way he would talk to Pop and his teammates w/ that weird stare. He would never look at people when he talked to them. He was oblivious but at the same time new exactly what was going on; every little detail. Now I love the guy.

[crossroads]

People do understand what a former player is right?

[No Offense]

MJ. Absolutely hated him when I was a kid. Not anymore.

[Th3RaptorSwag]

cheryl miller. oh wait...

[bran muffin]

I despised Kobe when he was a brash teenager who took waaay too many shots in his first few years. I hated him even more when he had the galls to challenge Shaq as the centerpiece of those Laker teams. Honestly, I thought Kobe was just an overrated kid who wouldn't have amounted to anything without Shaq.

Looking back, a lesser man would've tucked his tail between his legs, and made a career out of being Shaq's sidekick. But even as a teenager, Kobe had a very thick skin, and he kept asserting himself inspite of all the criticisms thrown his way. What really won me over were those outlandish rape allegations in '03. So many people just took that as an opportunity to lay it on the poor guy. It seems the only thing people enjoy more than watching a hero's rise to glory, is to watch them fall in disgrace (see: Tiger Woods). It's always ugly to see that side of human nature.

The more people hated on Kobe, the more I liked him. And I really wanted him to take all those criticisms and shove it back down their throats. And in fact, he did. Kobe has proven more people wrong than anyone in recent sports history. I had to eat my words right around 2002, when Kobe clearly overtaken Shaq as the Lakers' premiere player. That's when I finally took Kobe off my "most hated" list.

Kobe's still far from being my favorite player. But I don't think there's any player in the league I respect more than him.

[PippenAintEasy]

Stockton. I mean yeah he was kind of dirty but man could he ball. Respec.

[GameOver25]

Charles Barkley

[Rendezvous]

I used to hate Dwight Howard, now i love him.

[Wilford Brimley]

Disliked now like

--I used to like Kobe in his 3peat and younger years, then I hated him during the rape stuff and yelling to the random dude with the camera, now I I'm pretty indifferent but more towards the positive side, since his maturation post 2007ish

-I didn't like Melo in college now he is one of my favorite players in the NBA

Used to like but now dislike

-KG

-Rondo

-I used to like LBJ early in his career, but recently he's become a huge tool and douche

-I used to like Malone when I was a kid, then I grew older and found out what a dirty player he was

[Baddy Chuck]

I used to hate Carlos Delfino, now I extremely dislike him.

[devv83]

Op you might as well change the thread title, nobody is just gonna do former players

I used to hate kobe but now I'm a fan of his

I used to like KG now not so much

Me and jr smith switch every couple of games right now dont like em so much

[illiance]

Chauncey Billups, hated him with the Pistons, once he left my division and joined the ultra-fun Nuggets, I became a fan.

[durden_tyler]

Garnett. He was this emotional underdog with Minnesota. Was pulling for him and the Wolves many times against the Lakers and the likes. After he joined Boston and the ring it seems like it's not just passion but overacting and fake emotions.

[adarsh1]

i used to hate iverson. now i dont mind him because i see he got cheated by the refs.

[TAI8]

How can anyone hate Tim Duncan? Seriously...unless you hate humility which is weird.