Bob Knight's Complex Legacy Summed Up by Chair-Throwing Bobblehead

At the risk of being a bit overdramatic, bobbleheads can provide a glimpse into how a fanbase views their heroes. Set aside weird pop-cultural crossovers, like players dressed as Star Wars or Marvel characters, and consider what's being depicted.

Is the athlete holding a major award? Are they on their knees in an iconic celebration or twisted into a pose that only they could make?

Well, in the late Bob Knight's case, he's doing something else: throwing a chair.

And while that may seem a bit goofy, the bobblehead does speak volumes about the coach's complicated legacy. There's plenty of good, but the more negative moments are simply inescapable.

Knight was one of NCAA basketball's biggest coaches and he piled up a legendary resume across his time at West Point, Indiana and Texas Tech, so why are we focusing on an emotional outburst?

Well, let's take a closer look.

There's an Official Chair-Throwing Knight Bobblehead

On November 1, 2023, Knight died in Bloomington, Indiana, at 83 years of age.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share that coach Bob Knight passed away at his home in Bloomington surrounded by his family," his family said in a statement, according to ESPN.

"We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, and appreciate the continued respect for our privacy, as coach requested a private family gathering, which is being honored."

Tributes understandably poured in from around the basketball world. Mike Krzyzewski, the legendary Duke coach who played under Knight at West Point and worked with him during the early stages of his coaching career, said that, "We lost one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball." From the NBA side of things, George Karl remembered Knight as a "grandfather of the sport."

And if basketball fans want to remember the late coach, they can take advantage of a bit of good timing. In September 2023, Knight Legacy, a company founded by the coach's son, Pat, to "honor, promote, and preserve the Coach Knight Legacy and the footprint that Hall of Fame Coach Bob Knight has made in the history of basketball," teamed up with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame to produce two collectibles. One depicts the coach in his red Indiana sweater, while the other has him about to hurl a plastic chair across the court.

The latter is, of course, a reference to a game on February 23, 1985. Frustrated with a technical foul call, Knight picked up one of the chairs that made up Indiana's bench and sent it across the floor. He received another "T", was ejected and later suspended for a game, but the moment became part of NCAA history.

Knight, for his part, didn't exactly shy away from the moment. As documented in an Associated Press write-up, he autographed countless photos of the incident, "appeared on the Golf Channel to coach David Feherty on proper chair-throwing technique," and even joked about it with David Letterman.

And now, that moment is enshrined in bobblehead form through Bobknight.com's official shop.

"We're thrilled to be honoring my father's legacy with these limited-edition bobbleheads in collaboration with the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum," Pat Knight said via a press release. "I think these bobbleheads are a great tribute to my dad's legacy and the passion that he had for basketball and life."

Negative Moments are Just Part of Knight's Legacy

If we can return to the first sentences of this story for a moment, bobbleheads generally depict a significant part of the subject's legacy, like an iconic catch or the ownership of a major award.

In Knight's case, however, he's depicted throwing a chair after getting frustrated with the officials. For better or worse, those sorts of moments are just part of his complicated history.

Sticking solely to sports, Knight was one of the best around. He coached nearly 1,300 games over the years and won 899 of them. He led the Indiana Hoosiers to an undefeated season and three NCAA titles; the coach also claimed an NIT Title and an Olympic gold medal. His coaching tree stretches across basketball, and even boasts legendary NFL coach Bill Parcells as a member.

But that's only part of the story. As we've already discussed, Knight threw a chair. He faced criticism for making a rape-related analogy, choked a player and was fired from Indiana after violating a zero-tolerance policy through a "pattern of unacceptable behavior." The list, quite literally, goes on.

And those negative moments are not just being dug up on social media or used to smear the late legend. The chair-throwing bobblehead is available through his company, whose stated mission is to "honor, promote and preserve the Coach Knight Legacy."

Within the world of sports, that can be a complicated sentiment. We want to cheer for our heroes and boo the bad guys on the other team. Between the whistles, there isn't much room for ambiguity.

But when it comes to Knight, it's unavoidable. Focusing on one part of his legacy, whether it's the good moments or the transgressions, renders him a two-dimensional caricature.

And, at the risk of returning to where we started, consider the bobbleheads. If you bought the combination package, you'd receive two images of Knight. One depicts him coaching, while the other has him about to send a chair careening across the court.

When it comes to his legacy, both pieces need to be there.