Sometimes it’s just to make fun of your rivals, and other times it’s spurred out of pure passion for your team. McGregor even laid down one of the most hilarious insults across sports, demolishing Draymond Green on Instagram.Throwing shade, talking smack, put downs, disses–whatever your go-to term is for trash talking in sports, we are all guilty of doing it. It helps that social media has exploded during McGregor’s career, but you can argue that no one has delivered more memorable quotes than the UFC star.
From his numerous MMA fights to the Floyd Mayweather boxing bout to smacking people down on social media, the sharp McGregor is tough to beat when it comes to trash talk-and he apologizes to absolutely nobody. George thinks he will, but I know he won’t.”Ĭonor McGregor has become a superstar athlete and the highest paid in the world (thanks to business ventures, boosted in large part due to his popularity, which was sparked by his brash personality). His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The talk could turn from relentless to poetic for Ali: That said, Ali would get personal with his targets, which was effective if not unbecoming. The great Muhammad Ali was a very smart person, and that translated to top-notch trash talk throughout his legendary career. The Last Dance documentary released last summer gave an inside look at Jordan’s ability as a trash talker, and it (like the entire documentary) did not disappoint. MJ told his opponents what he was going to do, and then he did it-including when he humbled a then-rookie Payton in 1990. As one of the top players in NBA history, Bird simply talked as if he couldn’t be stopped.įor as good of a trash talker Gary Payton might have been, he couldn’t be at his best in terms of talking against Michael Jordan. “So, who’s coming in second?” Those famous words from Larry Bird ahead of winning yet another Three-Point Contest stand out, but Larry Legend carried that extreme confidence throughout his career. It helped that Payton was an elite defender that could lock down players from the other team-it was like a double whammy to deal with a guy shutting you down and telling you about it. Gary Payton is one of the most well-known trash talkers in the history of sports. Philip Rivers might not have angered his opponents too much with his clean words, but the funny side of the unorthodox quarterback helps him land on the list. To not be someone that cursed yet still be regarded as one of the top trash talkers in the NFL is quite the feat. In his prime, Sherman was one of the best talkers in recent years. The famous post-game interview with Erin Andrews after the NFC Championship Game in January of 2014 is the major standout, but Richard Sherman is not a shy talker-even going as far as going after Tom Brady earlier in his career. Money Mayweather’s criticism wasn’t just aimed at his opponents, extending to commentator Larry Merchant and his own father at times. wasn’t always a big talker, but a switch was eventually flipped, and that trash talk-paired with his tremendous ability as a fighter-helped him earn over $1 billion throughout his career. I want your heart I want to eat his children.”įloyd Mayweather Jr. “My style is impetuous, my defense is impregnable, and I’m just ferocious. When Mike Tyson got going, his trash talk was borderline disturbing. Brady let Mathieu hear about it.īrady vs Mathieu Part II #SuperBowl /fSmosdPb5n promising to go after Tyrann Mathieu after the safety started talking, following through by the targeting of Mathieu on a touchdown to Antonio Brown. Super LV was a prime example, with the G.O.A.T. Like some other great trash talkers, Brady isn’t someone that’ll typically start the “discussions” with the opposition-but he’ll be the one to finish it. Honorable mention goes to the NHL’s Sean Avery, who was called “King of the Trash-Talkers” by the New York Times-but it otherwise wasn’t as high profile as these other guys on the list.Ī surprise appearance on the list? It shouldn’t be for anyone that’s watched Tom Brady play over the years. Plenty of athletes over the years could have made this list, and the rankings are a rough mix of effectiveness and notoriety. Today’s Top Ten Tuesday picks the best trash talkers in sports history.