The most unlikely cult hero from every NBA franchise

In eight seasons with the Hawks, Pachulia got under the skin of opposing fans with his old-school, enforcer-type play style. Atlanta fans appreciated it, though, and he was a core part of the team for nearly a decade. During a peak two-year run in his third and fourth seasons, he averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds, but he remained useful even when his numbers dipped.

Scalabrine didn't contribute much to the Celtics winning from 2006 to 2010: He didn't play a second in the 2008 playoffs. The "White Mamba" was nonetheless a fan favorite, though, and it was routine for him to get chants from the crowd. He remains beloved by fans today, in his current role as a play-by-play guy on the local Celtics broadcast crew.

Evans had little more than a cup of coffee in Brooklyn, playing in the 2013 season and part of the 2014 campaign. While there, though, he was a professional rebounder, snagging 11 boards a game in 2013 in just 25 minutes a contest. He was a 6'8" big man with essentially no evidence of an offensive game, but he nonetheless provided value.

Biyombo was never a standout player, but he was consistently solid enough to carve out a 15-year NBA career. He wasn't much of an offensive threat in his seven seasons spent in Charlotte, but he gave his all on defense. Biyombo was a hard worker who knew his place and thrived in his role, the kind of player fans love.

Mohammed is one of the longest-tenured players in NBA history, enjoying 18 years in the league. He was never a star, but even during an end-of-career stop in Chicago, he was unafraid to do the dirty work and always found ways to contribute. He also seems to have been a great locker room guy: Kevin Durant once called Mohammed the "nicest" teammate he's ever had.

They don't make players who take the court with more passion and intensity than Delly. After going undrafted, he found a home in Cleveland thanks to his pestering defense. Golden State fans remember him, too, for being a thorn in Stephen Curry's side during the 2015 Finals.

It takes a special player to not just make the league standing at 5'10", but to spend over a decade with a single franchise. Barea became a favorite over two separate stints in Dallas with his surprisingly potent offense. He was especially useful during the Mavs' 2011 championship run, scoring 17 and 15 points in the last two games of the Finals.

Chris “Birdman” Andersen was one of the most eccentric players in league history, often sporting a tall mohawk to go with his tattoo-covered skin. He wasn't just interesting to look at, though, as he was one of the NBA's most effective shot-blockers back in his day. Over seven seasons in Denver, he was a beloved defensive anchor.

Hunter is another one of those veterans whose stats rarely jumped off the page but whose reliable consistency kept them in the league for years. He had a 17-year NBA career, to be precise, and 12 of those seasons were spent with the Pistons. During his statistical peak from 1997 to 2000, he was a reliable starting PG with averages of 13 points, 3 assists, and over a steal a game.

To put it simply, Biedriņš is one of the worst free-throw shooters in NBA history, with a career percentage of exactly 50. That said, he was also a double-double machine for a few seasons with the Warriors. He was also good for a block or two a night, making the free-throw shooting woes a burden the team was willing to shoulder.

For his first couple seasons, Brooks was a solid backup for Houston. Then, he won the Most Improved Player award in his third year and was one of the top 20 scorers in the league with 19 points per game. He was traded midway through the following season, but Brooks was nonetheless one of the Rockets' most exciting players for a stretch.

Foster was never a star, but he was consistent enough to spend his entire 13-year NBA career with the Pacers. He didn't have much of an offensive game to speak of, but he could set a solid screen, worked hard, and was a capable rebounder. Fans likely still remember his 20-point, 16-rebound game against Miami in the second round of the 2004 playoffs.

Bledsoe's best years in the NBA came after his three seasons with the Clippers. When he was in LA, though, fans saw a ton of potential and tons of excitement from the backup guard. Although the Clippers got swept by the Spurs in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, Bledoe overachieved and impressed with games of 23 and 17 points, as well as three steals and a block in each contest.

The Lakers organization is a franchise defined by its legends, but role players like Farmar have stolen hearts, too. He was a real "local kid done good" story: born in Los Angeles, went to school at UCLA, and then drafted by the Lakers. He was capable of the occasional big scoring night, but mostly, he was a steady backup for five non-consecutive seasons.

Allen never even sniffed an All-Star team, but the Grizzlies retired his jersey anyway, meaning he had to be a pretty special player nonetheless. Indeed, he was: After establishing a reputation as a standout defender in Boston, he took it to another level in Memphis. In his seven seasons with the franchise, he made six All-Defense teams and was the highest-finishing guard in Defensive Player Of The Year voting four times.

During the LeBron James era in Miami, Chalmers was obviously not asked to be a star. He routinely stepped up when the moment called for it, though. Heat fans will never forget his clutch Finals moments, like dropping 20 points in an overtime win over the Spurs in 2013, or coming through with a 25-point game against OKC in 2012.

Henson was as lanky as they came, but that didn't stop him from being a terrific shot-blocker for the Bucks for nearly a decade. As a part-time starter, his most personally productive stretch was from 2014 to 2016, averaging 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. He wasn't a star, but he was a star in his role.

Coming from overseas in his mid-20s, Peković didn't spend long in the NBA. Over six seasons, though, he became a favorite in Minnesota. In the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds a game while offering bulk and interior toughness.

Modern NBA nicknames tend to boil down to just the player's initials, perhaps with some minor embellishment. Then there's "Grand Theft Alvarado," an all-time great and a perfect representation of what he brings to the table. He's a pesky defender, and his signature steals, where he hides in a corner of the court before surprising the opposition, are both a novelty and a momentum-shifter.

Novak played for nine teams in 11 seasons, but he made his greatest impact in two years with the Knicks. He was one of the NBA's best shooting bigs during that stretch, going as far as to lead the league in three-point percentage in 2012. Pair that with his beloved championship-belt celebration, and Novak is as "cult hero" as it gets.

During a four-season run towards the start of his career, Collison put up averages of 9 points and 8 rebounds a game. His role diminished from there, but nonetheless, Collison was the face of the Thunder for 14 seasons, providing veteran leadership and reliable play when called upon. He's so beloved in OKC, in fact, that despite pedestrian career numbers, the organization retired his jersey.

Piétrus was a perfect role player: He could defend the opposing team's best scorers, and he could hit threes, nailing over 35 percent of them with Orlando. He stepped up in a big way during the Magic's 2009 Finals run, too. He averaged 14 points in the Conference Finals, and he had 18 points in the one Finals game Orlando won.

After spending much of his rookie season in the G League (then called the D League), Covington got his first real opportunity with the Sixers. He made an immediate impact, quickly becoming one of the league's best 3-and-D role players. In 2018, for instance, he shot just under 37 percent from long range while earning first-team All-Defense honors.

"The Brazilian Blur" was, as the nickname indicates, as fast as anybody in the NBA. His speed made him an effective supporting scorer during his years in Phoenix, where he won the Sixth Man Of The Year trophy in 2007. He was later a bit of a cult hero in Golden State, too, where he notched a timely 13-point game in the 2015 Finals.

Fernández's time in the NBA was disappointingly short, playing just four seasons before returning to Europe. He made his three years in Portland count, though, serving as a valuable sixth man and even participating in the 2009 Dunk Contest. He also had one of the more memorable highlights of the late 2000s when, in the span of three seconds, he made a layup, stole the inbound pass, and hit a buzzer-beating three.

Pollard was a decent player, capable of getting the Kings some rebounds off the bench or occasionally as a starter. What fans remember him for, though, is the looks. He was one of the biggest experimenters in the NBA when it came to wildly different hairstyles, and his overall personality brought levity to locker rooms.

Bonner rarely had a huge role for his Spurs teams, but he excelled at what he did. Most notably, he hit threes. He led the league in percentage in 2011 with over 45 percent, while, for his career, he's one of just about 20 guys to shoot over 41 percent from three.

Calderón owns what may be one of the most unbreakable records in NBA history: In the 2009 season, he shot an incredible 98.1 percent from the free-throw line. Beyond that, he was quietly one of the most effective passers of his era: From the 2008 to 2013 seasons, he averaged eight assists a game.

For his eight seasons in Utah, Ingles was one of the league's best bench players. He even finished second in Sixth Man Of The Year voting in 2021 (behind teammate Jordan Clarkson, actually). This is all despite the fact that he doesn't have a traditional basketball player's build and he doesn't have supreme athleticism, but his intelligence- and skill-rooted game works regardless.

On the Wizards, Stevenson was a starter, but ultimately still a role player. Still, he wasn't afraid to go chest-to-chest with the league's biggest stars and instigate. He had a bit of a rivalry with LeBron James, although LeBron didn't see it that way, as he famously said once when asked about it, "It's almost like if Jay-Z responded to Soulja Boy. It doesn't make sense to respond."