Once upon a time, guys like Rasheed Wallace and Dennis Rodman could have been considered two-sport athletes for the dual passion they exhibited for playing basketball and antagonizing referees. Sheed and the Worm weren't the only two players that racked up technical fouls, but they were two of the most prolific. Nowadays, the tech hasn't exactly been eliminated from the game, but it's been curbed more than Larry David's enthusiasm thanks to a severe punishment system that mandates a one-game suspension once a player hits 16 techs in a season and an additional game for every two techs thereafter.
Though we'll never again see someone get T'd up 41 times in a season the way Wallace once did (that would result in 13 games of suspensions now, and anyway, Adam Silver would probably call in the National Guard long before that), there are players that are keeping up the time-honored tradition of being an extreme pain in the ass and an impediment to authority all the same.
Luka Dončić, now of the Los Angeles Lakers, is one of the best in the game, not only for his playing ability but for the way he has made a full-time commitment out of griping at the refs. Luka complains constantly, whether his team is up or down by 20. Whether he makes or misses a shot, he always has a salty remark for the nearest zebra. Sometimes it's in English, sometimes it's in Slovenian, but the gist remains the same.
Luka has picked up 88 technical fouls in his career, an impressive number considering he only recently turned 26. Nine of those have been assessed this year. Still, as Matthew McConaughey's character in The Wolf of Wall Street said, "Gotta pump those numbers up. Those are rookie numbers." Anthony Edwards is setting the standard this year with 17.
Just as it's impossible to compare stats from the shot clock era to the pre-shot clock era, there needs to be a demarcation between pre-2006 technicals and post-2006 technicals. That's the year that the stringent penalty was implemented. So with all due respect to Karl Malone (332 career techs), Charles Barkley (an oh-so-close 329, yet another area where Chuck doesn't have a title), and Gary Payton (250), they have their own section in the technical foul hall of fame. The modern rules don't allow Luka to chase them in any meaningful way (and they likely prevented Wallace from setting the all-time record, as he finished with 317 despite spending his final four years playing under the fun police).
How far does Luka Dončić have to go to catch the active leaders in technical fouls?
Though Edwards is leading the league in techs this year with 17 and the last two years combined with 33, he's a recently converted bad boy, as he only has 55 for his career. Dillon Brooks, who is second behind Edwards with 27 since the beginning of last year, has always been more committed to the bit. He has 81 in his career.
Luka led the league with 19 last year, but he has a long way to go to catch the active leaders. Atop the leaderboard is Russell Westbrook with 178. Russ is in his 18th year in the league, so he's basically averaging 10 per year. He's mellowed out a bit in his old age, otherwise, he'd be over 200 by now.
Next after Russ is Draymond Green, who probably would have been most people's guess for No. 1 on the list. Draymond has 162 career techs, and it's his consistency that sets him apart, as he's recorded double-digit techs in each of the past 11 years. The man just refuses to behave himself and always has, so hats off to him.
The rest of the active leaderboard consists of old heads that have been in the league long enough to let those numbers add up. Chris Paul has 160. Kevin Durant is at 122. Kyle Lowry is at 116.
LeBron James, Luka's teammate, is the oldest active player in the NBA, but despite being known as a complainer, he usually restrains himself before crossing the line into tech territory. He has 74 in 22 years, which is pretty modest if you think about it.
Even more well-behaved is Mike Conley, who has managed to go his entire career, even dating back to college, high school, and AAU, without having a tech on his permanent record. Conley did pick one up back in 2014, but it was later rescinded, which kept his record spotless. Nobody has played more NBA minutes than he has without having been credited with a tech.
Luka should be in the league for many years to come, and if he can maintain his current pace, he could easily become the first player in this new era to cross the 200-tech threshold. It's not nearly as exciting, and certainly not as beneficial, as Lakers fans getting to watch him for hopefully the next decade, but it's still a fun subplot to keep track of.