I think Dwight Howard embraced his role as villian in his return to Orlando. Fans were heckling and jeering Howard the entire night. One fan managed to get Dwight’s attention and Dwight asked if the fan’s mother hated him too and then followed it up with “your mamma liked me last night.”
The last NBA player I recall embracing the dark side was LeBron James in his move to the Heat. We all know how that turned out!