Slideshow: The top 10 most violent moments in NBA history

SLIDESHOW - TheGrio takes a look at ten other incidents which made fans both cringe and, in some cases, run for cover...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

A playoff-like Lakers Thunder match-up took a more serious turn Sunday, after Metta World Peace rocked James Harden with an elbow ‘heard round the world. World Peace, who changed his name from Ron Artest back in September of 2011, will most likely get suspended for part of the playoffs. The league is expected to make an announcement on Thursday. World Peace has quite a history of both flagrant and technical fouls, altercations and overall bizarre behavior — most notably 2004’s Malice at the Palace, which led to World Peace’s suspension for the remainder of the ‘04-05 season.

World Peace’s elbow left Harden with a concussion and an Oklahoma City Thunder team concerned about Harden’s future as the playoffs get underway. The Thunder, who have made it clear that Harden’s health is their top priority, will put the frontrunner for the league’s Sixth-Man of the Year Award through a serious of rigorous tests once he’s considered free of concussion symptoms.

World Peace’s elbow was hard to watch — but it certainly isn’t the first time NBA players have given new meaning to the term ‘hard foul’. TheGrio takes a look at ten other incidents which made fans both cringe and, in some cases, run for cover.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE