Stats are a big part of the game of basketball, as they are typically used to measure a player's success on the court. If you have a lot of stats, that usually means you are doing well, whereas if you don't put up a lot of numbers, you probably aren't making much of a contribution on the floor.
While fans everywhere gush over 50-point games or triple-doubles, there are also cases where players fail to record a single stat over an extended period of time. So, with that in mind, we decided to look at the ten greatest cardio games in NBA history.
Who had the biggest no-show?
The term cardio game is used to describe a player who is doing nothing but running around on the court. For the most part, they involve players simply failing to meet expectations with lower-than-expected stat totals, but there are instances where guys don't record a number in a single statistical category.
Those instances are rare, but they are legendary among fans of the game. While Tony Snell has arguably the most well-known cardio game of all time, he actually has the second-biggest number of game time ever behind Joel Anthony.
- Joel Anthony - 28:46 (2011)
- Tony Snell - 28:25 (2017)
- Ayo Dosunmu - 26:29 (2023)
- Bruce Bowen - 25:16 (2005)
- Hollis Thompson - 25:03 (2014)
- Glen Rice - 23:39 (2001)
- Jason Collins - 23:20 (2007)
- Greg Foster - 22:52 (1999)
- P.J. Tucker - 22:35 (2023)
- Matt Freije - 21:37 (2006)
Related: "You could just feel it, the lack of respect" - Alonzo Mourning on the tense environment in the gold medal game against France in the 2000 Olympics
Joel stands alone in NBA cardio game history
On January 9th, 2011, Anthony played nearly 29 minutes and only managed to turn the ball over once while also committing four fouls. Despite standing at 6'9", Joel didn't haul in a single rebound or even attempt a single shot from the floor.
While putting up big stats is impressive, this deserves some credit, too. Not only was the Canadian center somehow not contributing to the game, but he was also doing enough to stay on the floor long enough to record the greatest cardio game of all time.
Other notable names on the list are Snell, Ayo Dosunmu, Glen Rice (who averaged 26.8 points per game one season), and P.J. Tucker . Each game is unique in its own way, but the one common denominator is the fact that they didn't record a single stat of note.
Cardio games like this often result in quite a bit of fan taunting, but these guys all have a unique spot in NBA history. Anthony's record has stood for over a decade now, and it will be interesting to see if anyone can break it in the upcoming 2024-25 campaign.
Related: "Good players only play four or five years" - P.J. Tucker on the harsh reality of playing in the NBA
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