Many NBA players proudly sport bald looks, whether by genetics or choice haircuts! Coincidence or not, some of the best players in the history of the NBA are bald. It suffices to mention Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, or Kobe Bryant to realize that – at least to a certain extent – baldness could be related to greatness on the court. Let’s take a look at 21 bald NBA players!
Table of Contents
Best past and present bald NBA Players
1. Michael Jordan
Age: 59
Height: 6’6″
Teams: Chicago Bulls, Washington Wizards
Position: Shooting guard
It is impossible to talk about basketball without mentioning one of the greatest players to have ever graced this sport: Michael Jordan. However, we will not focus on his impressive list of achievements as a basketball player. Instead, we will focus on the bald head he has been proudly sported from the 90s onward. Is his bald look linked to his success? Impossible to sustain scientifically.
2. Nicolas Batum
Age: 33
Height: 6’8″
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Small forward / Power forward
Nicolas Batum does not suffer from hair loss. In fact, he sports the bald look by choice. We think he’s rocking the style.
3. Kobe Bryant
Age: died aged 41
Height: 6’6″
Teams: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Shooting guard
Kobe Bryant’s 20-year career in the NBA allowed fans to witness the evolution of his legendary gameplay and the evolution of his haircut choices. Back in 1996, when he made his debut in the NBA, Kobe was sporting a bald look. However, from 1997 to 2011 – when he started losing his hair and opted for a shaved look – Kobe wore various haircuts, including his famous afro that fans acknowledge as Frobe.
4. Shaquille O’Neal
Age: 50
Height: 7’1″
Teams: Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics
Position: Centre
A natural-born force on the court and a basketball legend, Shaquille O’Neal, has been opting for years for a clean-cut shaved head look. The truth is that he was losing his hair. Back in 2020, after losing a bet with Dwyane Wade, Shaq went on national television and showed his natural hairline. You can check out the result here.
5. Reggie Miller
Age: 56
Height: 6′ 6½”
Team: Indiana Pacers
Position: Guard
This is not the first time we have talked about this fantastic long-range shooter. Reggie Miller consistently makes it to virtually all lists that include the word ugly. He opted to shave his head does nothing but highlight his ugly facial features. We think he looks a little better with his hair.
6. Popeye Jones
Age: 51
Height: 6′ 8″
Team: Aresium Milano, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors
Position: Power forward
Another old ‘ugly-listed’ acquaintance, Popeye Jones, stands out for his facial traits: crossed-eyed, big ears, crooked smile. His bald head does nothing but enhance his most prominent feature: his overgrown ears. Many fans compare him with Shrek. What do you think?
7. Tyrone Hill
Age: 53
Height: 6′ 9″
Position: Power Forward
Teams: Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat
Many of his fans compare Tyrone Hill with a mummy. There are many elements that sum up to turn him into one of the ugliest NBA players: bald head, fat nose, plump lips, crooked teeth, strangely shaped ears, and forehead…
8. Ray Allen
Age: 46
Height: 6′ 5″
Position: Shooting guard
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat
This two-time NBA champion has been hiding the fact that he was going bald behind a shaved head look. However, in 2020, he used his Instagram account to share his receding hairline with his fans. He also took the opportunity to challenge former NBA stars to do the same. Richard Jefferson, Carlos Boozer, Carlos Arroyo, Shaquille O’Neal, Damien Wilkins, Richard Hamilton, or Jermaine O’Neal are some of the NBA players who were tagged.
9. Tony Parker
Age: 39
Height: 6′ 2″
Position: Point guard
Teams: San Antonio Spurs, Charlotte Hornets
Tony Parker is definitely one of the hottest NBA players. Who are we to contradict a beauty such as Eva Longoria? Opting for a buzz cut just added to his attractiveness.
10. Jason Kidd
Age: 49
Height: 6′ 4″
Position: Point guard
Teams: Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks
Even though Jason Kidd has sported a shaved head throughout most of his career, there was a time when his head was not only full of hair but he also bleached his mane. Check it out here.
11. Kris Kaman
Age: 39
Height: 7′ 0″
Position: Centre
Teams: Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail BlazersThere are very few men brave enough to grow long hair while going bald. But Kris Kaman is one of them. The NBA fans could witness Kris’ hair losing the battle gradually. The fact that he is ginger and his eyebrows are practically invisible is not an attractiveness plus either. However, he seems to have come to terms with his baldness.
12. Alex Caruso
Age: 28
Height: 6′ 5″
Position: Point guard
Teams: Oklahoma City Blue, Los Angeles Lakers, South Bay Lakers, Chicago Bulls
Also known as Bald Mamba, Alex Caruso completely shaved his head for a noble cause: raise $10,000 for testicular cancer research. In our opinion, baldness has never looked cooler!
13. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Age: 72
Height: 7′ 2″
Position: Centre
Teams: Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers
When the young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined the NBA, his head was far from bald. Don’t believe us? Check it out for yourselves here.
14. Evan Fournier
Age: 29
Height: 6′ 6″
Position: Shooting guard / Small forward
Teams: Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks
Evan Fournier experienced rapid hair loss. He went from sporting long hair to a shaved head in a couple of years. See for yourselves here.
15. Jermaine O’Neal
Age: 43
Height: 6′ 11″
Position: Centre / Power forward
Teams: Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors
Exchanging some of the most amazing NBA dreadlocks and cornrows for a shaved head is an unfair trade, especially if it’s not a personal choice. Jermaine O’Neal used to sport some of the most amazing hairstyles.
16. Sam Cassell
Age: 52
Height: 6’3″
Teams: Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics
Position: point guard
The human projection of Gollum and E.T., Sam Cassell is another NBA player who has earned a place in the NBA Ugliest Players hall of fame. Sam defies human standards from his separated eyes to the exact shape of his head or his prominent teeth. His shaved head makes it all worse.
17. Charlie Villanueva
Age: 37
Height: 6’11”
Teams: Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks
Position: Power forward
Charlie Villanueva suffers from a rare autoimmune condition called Alopecia Universalis. This condition causes complete hair loss. And when we say complete we mean it as this condition affects the entire body. However, far from taking it as a curse, Charlie considers alopecia a blessing that helped him become what he is. He used all available means to raise awareness about Alopecia: he became a National Alopecia Areata Foundation member, wrote blogs, and even got a tattoo.
18. Vince Carter
Age: 45
Height: 6′ 6″
Position: Shooting guard / Small forward
Teams: Toronto Raptors, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, Atlanta Hawks
One of the best dunkers in the history of the NBA, Vince Carter makes it to our list for sporting a shaved head to hide his hair loss problems.
19. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Age: 46
Height: 7′ 3″
Position: Centre
Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat
When he entered the NBA back in 1996, Ilgauskas did have hair. However, as time passed by and he started losing his hair, he opted to shave it all off.
20. Kevin Garnett
Just like Michael Jordan before him, Kevin Garnett decided to completely shave his head when he started to go bald. Garnett is also famous for trash-talking. Back in 2010, he called Charlie Villanueva (who suffers from alopecia) a ‘cancer patient’, giving birth to a whole scandal. You can read more about it here.
Age: 45
Height: 6′ 11″
Position: Power forward / Centre
Teams: Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets
21. Michael Ruffin
Age: 44
Height: 6′ 9″
Position: Power forward / Centre
Teams: Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers
It is clear that Michael Ruffin doesn’t stand out as a charming prince. In fact, he is acknowledged as one of the ugliest NBA players. His ‘rough’ facial traits are highlighted by his bald look.
Video of the top NBA hairless players
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