"The beauty of those guys talking trash is they could back it up" - Mike Woodson believes Michael Jordan and Larry Bird are 2 of the best trash talkers in NBA history
Larry Bird and Michael Jordan are two of the greatest players in NBA history. Bird and Jordan were also known for talking a lot of trash during their playing days. Former NBA player and head coach Mike Woodson believes the two legends are two of the best trash talkers ever.
In the most recent episode of 'Inside Indiana Basketball with Mike Woodson' podcast, Woodson and Don Fischer talked about the former's new gig coaching college basketball at Indiana University, social media, the greatest of all time and more. One of their topics was about the best trash talkers he ever played against.
"Larry talked a lot of trash, man. Jordan talked a lot of trash, you know. There were a number (of) guys that talked trash. But the beauty of beauty of those guys talking trash is they could back it up. That('s) what makes them so great," Woodson said.
Mike Woodson played in the NBA for ten seasons. He was drafted by the New York Knicks before he also turned up for the New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings, LA Clippers, Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. Woodson was never a top player, but he played against Bird and Jordan.
After his playing career ended, Woodson entered coaching as an assistant to several teams between 1996 and 2004. He had his first head coaching job with the Atlanta Hawks, coaching them for six seasons. He also coached the Knicks for two seasons before returning to assistant coaching till 2021 when he took over the basketball program at the University of Indiana.
Michael Jordan's trash talking stories
Some of Michael Jordan's best trash-talking stories were told by himself or by someone at the end of it. One of those players was Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers.
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Miller talked about how Jordan called himself 'Black Jesus'.
"At half, I have 10, and he has 4 points. I’m doing all this talking. End of the game, he ended up with 44. I ended up with 12. So, he outscored me 40-2. As he’s walking off, he’s like, 'Be careful that you never talk to Black Jesus like that,'" Miller said.
Another classic Jordan trash talk was to Dikembe Mutumbo in a game against the Denver Nuggets on November 23, 1991. Before taking a free throw, Jordan said, "Hey, Mutombo. This one's for you, baby", closed both of his eyes, and made the shot.
Larry Bird trash talking stories
Larry Bird has a claim to be one of the greatest trash talkers ever as well. Like Michael Jordan, Bird has had some legendary trash-talking stories. One of them happened before the 1988 Three-Point Shootout, where he told the other players in the competition, "Who's playing for second?"
Bird ended up winning, never taking off his warm-up jacket and ending the final rack, pointing his finger up before the shot went in.
Another great Larry Bird story was when he scored 60 points against the Atlanta Hawks in 1985. Doc Rivers remembers Bird starting to call his shots during the game, leaving the Hawks bewildered as 'Larry Legend' dropped his career-high on them.
"Bird got in the zone, and he started calling the shots. He started saying 'off the glass.' That was the one game I think he tortured Dominique (Wilkins)," Rivers said.