Trash-talk is a form of insult usually found in sports events, although it is not exclusive to sports or similarly characterized events. We’ll keep this intro short and simple- because we all came here for a good diss and nothing more. 

There have been some real trash talkers in NBA history, and these are the absolute best of them.

Kobe Bryant

When he talked the talk, he liked to back it up with a little walk.

“The man comes down, you remember, shot fake, shot fake, threw it off the glass, threw it to the corner, I’m like ‘bro, what you on?’ Like bro you’ve been regular all game. Shot, get to the spot, shot fake, spin pivot over here, drop it off the glass. I’m like ‘bro, what’s going on?’

“Then he pulled up from like 35 feet on some Steph Curry shit before Steph was doing that, he pulled up and laced it! D’Antoni looking at me, I’m like ‘bro, I (shrugs).’ I’m like ‘bro, I guarded everything bro.’ Nah, bro…”

Kobe liked to back up his trash talk with his exceptional skills.

Gary Payton

According to many sources, nothing could shut Gary up. If he crossed a player up in a game two years ago, he’d remind him of it when they next met up. When fellow players weren’t catching his passes, they were catching that lip.

Rasheed Wallace

When Rasheed had a problem, you knew it. He once said of another team- “I don’t know what they were trying to do there, but it didn’t work.” He had a way of just calling it like he saw it.

Dennis Rodman

Dennis Rodman was- erm… A weird guy. A character, we might call him. And that character didn’t leave him when he hopped on the paint.

Patrick Beverley

As ESPN pointed out, Patrick Beverly’s trash talk never stopped off the court. He even found ways to trash talk fellow players in a 2k tournament.

Shaquille O’Neil

Big guy, big mouth- you know how it is. Shaquille O’Neil wasn’t afraid to let his opinions be known- and with a stature like that to back him up- who could blame him?

And the trash talk didn’t start when he went pro. Legend has it, when Shaq and his high school team won the championship- he came straight out with his astute analysis of the win.

“I attribute it to me.”

Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley was a real burner. He once even accused a ref of parting the red sea alongside Moses.

Reggie Miller

Legend has it that Reggie Miller’s lines were the only to ever get a rouse out of Michael Jordan. Usually a calm guy, Jordan just couldn’t resist serving up a hot knuckle sandwich for Reggie Miller, who’d been ordering one all night.

Larry Bird

His famous line- “who’s gonna finish second,” is especially hurtful because he was able to back it up with real results, winning the competition he was involved in.

Robert Horry

Horry’s trash talk game was so acidic that players took to calling him ‘cheap-shot Rob,’ a play off his common nickname of ‘hot-shot Rob.’