# The 17 Most Hot-Headed Athletes in Sports History

> Smashed rackets, thrown chairs and one famous bite. Every name here has a highlight reel and a disciplinary file of similar length.

*By YPB Team · Published September 26, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-17-most-hot-headed-athletes-in-sports-history*

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## Current results (no votes yet)

1. **Mike Tyson** — score 1000/1000
   Heavyweight champion disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997.
2. **Roy Keane** — score 692/1000
   Manchester United captain who walked out of Ireland's 2002 World Cup camp.
3. **Paolo Di Canio** — score 609/1000
   Italian forward who shoved referee Paul Alcock to the ground in 1998.
4. **Luis Suárez** — score 609/1000
   Uruguayan striker banned three times for biting opponents.
5. **Marat Safin** — score 608/1000
   Russian two-time major champion who said he broke over 1,000 rackets.
6. **Serena Williams** — score 473/1000
   Champion fined after her confrontations with officials at the 2009 and 2018 US Opens.
7. **Dennis Rodman** — score 473/1000
   Rebounding great who kicked a courtside cameraman in 1997.
8. **Ron Artest** — score 387/1000
   Pacers forward at the center of the 2004 Malice at the Palace brawl.
9. **Nick Kyrgios** — score 387/1000
   Australian who threw a chair on court in Rome and was fined at Wimbledon.
10. **Albert Belle** — score 387/1000
   Cleveland slugger who chased trick-or-treaters with his car in 1995.
11. **John McEnroe** — score 387/1000
   Tennis great whose 'You cannot be serious!' at Wimbledon in 1981 became a catchphrase.
12. **Zinedine Zidane** — score 284/1000
   French maestro sent off for a headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final.
13. **Ilie Năstase** — score 284/1000
   Romanian tennis star fined and defaulted repeatedly for abusing officials.
14. **Ty Cobb** — score 284/1000
   Baseball's early hitting king, notorious for fights with opponents and fans.
15. **Bobby Knight** — score 0/1000
   Indiana basketball coach who threw a chair across the court in 1985.
16. **Rasheed Wallace** — score 0/1000
   Detroit forward who holds the NBA single-season record with 41 technical fouls.
17. **Eric Cantona** — score 0/1000
   Manchester United forward banned for eight months after a kung-fu kick on a fan in 1995.

Tags: sports, athletes, controversy