Kerry Eggers Catalogs Top NBA Quotes of 2017: “I Didn’t Know I Kicked Him in the Nuts.”

With 2017 drawing to a close, many public figures are being reminded of laudable, regrettable, and ridiculous soundbites from the last 12 months. The Portland Tribune’s Kerry Eggers made sure the top 2017 NBA quotes aren’t forgotten, publishing a compilation of his favorites.

They range from the provocative:

"I'm not the one who threw somebody through a window. I never spit on a kid. I never had unpaid debt in Las Vegas. I never said, 'I'm not a role model.' I never showed up at All-Star Weekend on Sunday because I was in Vegas all weekend partying. All I've done for my entire career is represent the NBA the right way. Fourteen years, never got in trouble. Respected the game. Print that."

— [Lebron] James, responding to criticism from TNT's Charles Barkley that James' urging for the Cavaliers to upgrade their roster before the 2017 playoffs was "whiny"

To the political:

"It's OK, @warriors, in a few months @realDonaldTrump probably won't be able to visit the White House either."

— Robin Lopez, after Stephen Curry announced he wouldn't be interested in the traditional champions' meeting with President Trump at the White House

To the complimentary:

"We're a s—t team, but an underrated s—t team. That's about as accurately as I can put it."

— Dallas coach Rick Carlisle

"I don't agree that they're a s—t team."

— Portland coach Terry Stotts

A couple players even found time to espouse some alternative facts:

"His force coming up on the ball made me come up with my leg. That's how it happened. I didn't know I kicked him in the nuts."

— Washington's Markief Morris, after kicking Denver's Mason Plumlee in the private parts on a drive to the basket

Be sure to check out Eggers’ article for a comprehensive walk down 2017’s memory lane.