5 best trash talkers in NBA History

NBA has seen a lot of characters who loved talking smack to intimidate opponents and to throw them off their game. When you think about players who excelled at the art of trash talking, five names come to mind immediately.

Kobe Bryant, Gary Payton, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Kevin Garnett. They were supreme competitors and wanted to win and then rub it in their opponents' faces.

These guys didn't just talk the talk, they walked the walk. They backed up their trash talk with their extraordinary skills as basketball players.

They showed no mercy to the rookies or veterans and roasted anyone and everyone who tried to get into a verbal war. It didn't just establish their strength as players, but also gave them the mental edge.

These are the five greatest trash talkers of all time!

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#5 Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant is widely regarded as one of the fiercest competitors to have ever played the game. He talked trash to opponents, coaches, his own teammates and also silenced the spectators with his witty comebacks. He would do it while remaining so calm, it caused his opponents to fear Kobe. Here are some of the classic Black Mamba moments-

Victim- James Harden and Kevin Durant

In a February 2012 game against the Lakers, the young stars of OKC, Kevin Durant and James Harden tried to poke bear when they got into it with Kobe. Kobe put the future MVP's in their places by saying -

"Maybe one day they'll be able to sit at my lunch table"

Victim- Steph Curry

In Steph Currys rookie season when he played against the Lakers, Kobe was heading to the free-throw line very late in the game.

Steph Curry went to Kobe and said - " Hey man, you nervous about this free throws?" Kobe schooled the Rook without even saying a word just by giving him a killer look. Steph later went on record to say this -

" The look he gave me was so mean and cold. Just like -What are you talking about? Get out of my face, you dumb rookie!"

Kobe obviously made both free throws and iced the game.

Victim- Tony Parker

Bryant spoke Italian and Spanish during his NBA career. But he took his Mamba Mentality to another level and learned French so he could trash talk Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs.

"I used to love playing the San Antonio spurs and saying something in French, that I won't repeat here, to Tony Parker who's watching 'What? Who taught you that?"

#4 Gary Payton

Gary Payton is the best defensive Point Guard of all time

Gary Payton is the best defensive Point Guard of all time. He's the only Point Guard to ever win the coveted Defensive Player Of The Year award.

Gee Pee was the kind of player who would talk smack all the time. He is undeniably and undoubtedly one of the best trash talkers in NBA history. He was so talkative that even his own teammates thought he would take it a bit too far.

"You just want to go find a library or something. Someplace totally quiet." - Michael Cage (Gary Paytons teammate)

Here are a few guys who got cooked by The Glove

Victim- Shaq

Not many players have Shaq on their victim list because Shaq himself was an outspoken player who did not back away from a verbal war. But Payton used to talk trash off the court as well.

"The craziest thing about GP on the court, he was like that off the court. If he saw you in the mall…”remember that time I crossed you up big fella and I gave you that thang and you almost pulled your arm out of the socket…you can’t guard me boy, I’m a Hall of Famer, I’m first ballot boy, I’m first ballot!"

Victim- Jamie Feick

Jamie Feick was a Center for the Nets. Payton verbally and virtually destroyed him by telling him -

"Man, you won't even be in the League next year"

Payton later revealed that he considered it to be "normal" talk from him which caught Jame Feick off guard. Feick played six more games before he was gone!

Victim- Sidney Lowe

Let me clue you in. Sidney Lowe was the Head Coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, Gary Payton talked trash to a Head Coach.

"Sit down you smurf!"

#3 Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan's trash talking stories are legendary

MJ was an absolute savage when it came to trash talking. He not only destroyed his opponents every night, but he let them know how inferior they were to him by roasting them before, during and after the game. Back in his prime, it was a good idea to let Michael be, but these guys learned it the hard way.

Victim- Reggie Miller

In his rookie season, Reggie Miller played against Jordan and Chicago Bulls in an exhibition game. Miller was outscoring Jordan 10-4 at the end of the first half when we decided it would be a good idea to talk trash to MJ. He went to Jordan and said "Who do you think you are? There's a new kid in town". Jordan just nodded his head and didn't say a thing. By the end of the game, Jordan had 44 points and Reggie Miller had 12. After the game, Jordan said

"Be careful. You never talk to Black Jesus like that."

Victim - Steve Smith

When Steve Smith of the Miami Heat was given the responsibility of guarding Michael Jordan, Michael had a little something for Smith that he would never ever forget. Michael Jordan started counting backward from 40. He hit a jump shot and said 38.

"He said something like ’38’, and i didn’t get it, then he said ’36’…wait a minute, wait a minute, he goin’ backwards and when he gets to zero, he got 40!"

Victim - Nick Anderson

Jordan was so savage, that he told his defenders what he's going to do and then actually do it! He got into his opponents head and played infinite mind games. Nick Anderson fell victim to Jordan's verbal attack. Jodan told Anderson -

"I’m coming down. I’m going to dribble it between my legs twice. I’m going to pump fake and then I’m going to shoot a jumper. And then I’m going to look at you"

And that's exactly what Jordan did.

#2 Larry Bird

Larry Bird is the MVP of trash talking

Larry Bird is a trash-talking legend. He used to talk trash to his defender throughout the game and get into his defenders head and made him look silly.

He would repeatedly say two numbers to the person guarding him. The number of points he had and the number of points his defender had. By the end of the game, the numbers weren't even close!

Victims - Players participating in the 3-Point Contest.

In the 1986 season, the NBA added the 3-Point Contest to the All-Star weekend for the first time. This was Bird's chance to prove his greatness. He was so sure he was going to win the contest, he let his opponents before the contest even began that the first spot was already locked up. He famously asked his fellow competitors -

"Who's coming in second?"

He won the contest obviously. But the story doesn't stop here.

The following year, he won the 3-Point Contest again! Throughout the contest, Bird did not even remove his warm-up jacket to show everyone how confident he was to win the contest again.

Victim- Chuck Dailey

For Bird, trash talking players was too basic. So he started talking to Head Coaches. In a game against the Detroit Pistons, Dennis Rodman (one of the best defenders of all time) tried his best to stop Larry Bird. But Bird sunk four straight shots in Rodman's face before asking Head Coach Dailey -

"Who's guarding me Chuck? Is anyone guarding me? You better get someone on me, or I'm going for 60!"

Victim - The Portland Trailblazers team of 1986

Bird had to do the most outrageous things to keep himself motivated because the League just wasn't challenging enough for him. So on Valentines Day in the 1986 season when the Celtics played the Trailblazers, Bird called the media and said -

"I'm going to play this one left handed"

Larry Legend scored every point that game with just his left hand (except for jumpshots). The Trailblazers were completely aware of Larry's promise, but they were helpless as he torched them for 22 points with just his left hand - scoring 47 points in total, 14 rebounds, 11 assists and... THE GAME WINNING SHOT!

From Larry, with love.

#1 Kevin Garnett

The Big Ticket played with the highest level of intensity

Though the other guys on the list are the best trash talkers, Kevin Garnett was the meanest trash talker ever! He was capable of throwing anyone off his game with his trash talk (and mentally destroy them).

He didn't really care about your feelings on the basketball court. His trash talk had no boundaries and after reading the following incidents, you may never look at KG the same way again.

Victim- Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan was one of the nicest guys to have played in the modern era. He was quiet and pretty much kept to himself. But on a May 9th game in 1999, the Wolves played the Spurs in Game 1 of the playoffs. It was Mother's Day. As Duncan stepped on the free-throw line, Garnett is said to have told Duncan -

"Happy Mother's Day , motherf***er"

Normal trash talk right? Wrong. Tim Duncan's mother passed away with cancer the day before he turned 14.

Victim - Joakim Noah

Joakim Noah pretty much hated Garnett the whole time he has been in the League and you wouldn't blame him.

In his Rookie season when the Bulls played the Celtics, it was a big moment for Noah because he was sharing the court with his childhood hero. Noah told KG-

"Man , KG , I had a poster of you on my wall. I looked up to you man"

Kevin Garnett responded in the meanest way possible -

"F*** you Noah!"

Imagine playing with your childhood hero only for him to say something like that. It crushed Noah. Ever since he has gone on record multiple times to say he hates Garnett.

Victim- Charlie Villanueva

Charlie Villanueva suffers from alopecia universalis. The disease is non-life threatening, but it leads to a complete loss of body hair.

During one of the games between Charlie V's Pistons against the Celtics, they two of them got into it. What happened next? Villanueva was given a serious dose of disrespect. Villanueva tweeted after the game -

"KG called me a cancer patient."

Here's the full tweet-

Did KG take things too far? We'll let you decide.