The greatest trash talkers in sports history
Muhammad Ali talks to reporters as he prepares for his bout with Joe Bugner in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Colorsport/Imago/Icon Sportswire)
May 25th, 2020
The ability to talk trash comes with the territory in the hyper competitive world of professional sports, where athletes are always looking for an edge over their opponents. Here are the five greatest smack talkers in sports history.
Muhammad Ali
The late Muhammad Ali was arguably the greatest boxer of all-time, but his charismatic quick wit in the spotlight was also legendary.
Ali often bragged about being "too fast" inside the ring for his opponents to handle. The same can be said for his way with words outside of it, as well, as he delivered one unforgettable line after another as swiftly as a combination of punches.
From the classics like, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee!" to "I’m a bad man!" and everything in between, no other athlete has captivated the world with such precise jabs, both verbal and physical.
Michael Jordan
The Last Dance provided insight into Michael Jordan’s ruthlessly competitive nature. Part of that nature manifested itself in verbal dunks on not just his opponents, but teammates and team executives as well.
Jordan went after Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller. He went after Larry Bird moments after eliminating the Indiana Pacers from the playoffs. It did not matter.
And those that tried to dish it out to Jordan usually ended up regretting their words.
That's cold.
Sean Avery
Sean Avery built a reputation for being one of the best trash talkers in the NHL during his career. He even admitted to putting serious thought into his chirps – sporting vernacular for trash talk – to opposing players. Anything to get the opposition of their game.
Of course, those who are prone to dishing out trash talk are also prone to going over the line, and Avery certainly did that a few times, including one time for premeditated inappropriate comments he made publicly about another player’s significant other.
Richard Sherman
The Legion of Boom carved its reputation in Seattle as the hard-hitting, chip-on-its-shoulder, shut-down defense of the Seahawks. One of the catalysts for that defense during its peak was cornerback Richard Sherman, who has always had plenty to say, whether it was on the field, the sidelines, or on social media, where his "U Mad Bro?" tweet following a win over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in 2012 went viral.
Fast forward to the 2013 NFC Championship game over the rival San Francisco 49ers, and Sherman let loose a post-game tirade directed at opposing receiver Michael Crabtree.
In Sherman's defense, he can talk the talk and walk the walk. He’s a five-time pro bowl cornerback, the leader in career interceptions among active players, and he’s been to three Super Bowl games, winning once in 2013.
Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is no stranger to throwing jabs from the microphone.
He has almost always stolen the show at UFC press conferences by lobbing a verbal barrage of shots at his opponents and other fighters in mixed-martial arts – or boxing for that matter – much to the delight of those in attendance.
"I’ll catch him with a jab – or maybe a gust of wind. I don’t know. His chin is weak. A gust of wind could make him do the chicken dance," McGregor once said during a televised interview, speaking about lightweight fighter Dustin Poirier.
He also had plenty to say about and to Floyd Mayweather in the lead up to their blockbuster fight a few years ago, but it was Mayweather who got the last word with a 10-round victory over McGregor.
