mobile app bar

“Larry Bird and Michael Jordan were marvelous, but I’m the greatest”: NBA legend explains why he’s the best trash talker of all time

Amulya Shekhar
Published

"Larry Bird and Michael Jordan were marvelous, but I'm the greatest": NBA legend explains why he's the best trash talker of all time

Gary Payton thinks he’s the greatest trash talker in NBA history over the likes of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, and he explained why.

The Glove is regarded as the greatest defender at the guard position in NBA history by many people. Payton earned 9 All-Defensive First-Team selections through the course of a Hall of Fame career.

The Sonics legend was among those players who grew into their role after a bedding period in the league. At his peak, the Sonics ranked consistently at the top of the Western Conference. Payton built an amazing partnership with Shawn Kemp – one of the most entertaining players of all time.

Also Read: “Michael Jordan uses his own logo for ice cubes at his golf course”: The Bulls legend has an elaborate branding mechanism even at his places of leisure

GP also had the reputation of a trash talker worth his salt. He never backed down, even in the face of a prime Michael Jordan. Payton was also arguably the most effective player to guard MJ, despite a significant height difference between the two.

Gary Payton ranks himself above Larry Bird, Michael Jordan in the pantheon of trash-talkers

In a recent interview, Payton said this when he was asked about who the greatest trash-talker in NBA history is:

“Basically Larry Bird was really marvelous. Reggie Miller could do it a lot, Michael would do a lot of things too but you really had to get him going. But the greatest one is me. Rasheed Wallace was good but he was doing it at the refs.”

Also Read: “LeBron James is a selective activist”: Lakers star gets flamed for not openly advocating for the Covid-19 vaccine ahead of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game

This is how Steve Francis described Gary Payton on court in a Players’ Tribune article:

“But first, I can’t forget about Gary Payton. Listen, man … I’ve been around an unbelievable amount of shit talkers in my life. I’ve been around some dudes better than GP. Way more creative, way more sinister. But this dude … this dude was like a volume shooter of shit talking. He would not shut the hell up from the minute we got on the court.”

GP definitely has the respect of his peers and oncourt rivals as a trash talker par excellence.

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar

x-iconfacebook-iconlinkedin-icon

Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

Read more from Amulya Shekhar

Share this article