Trash-talking goes hand-in-hand with basketball probably more than any other sport. From Rucker Park in New York City to the Drew League in Los Angeles, part of the entertainment is the verbal sparring that even the public address announcer takes part in. Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Kobe Bryant, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, Larry Bird - all of them took pride in talking trash on the NBA hardwood. It's been commonplace on blacktops and gyms across America for decades, too.
The first unwritten rule in trash-talking is that whatever happens on the court stays there.
"Trash-talking is part of the game," Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. "You have to give it. You have to be able to take it. It's just that you don't want to see it ever cross the line and become personal, because the game of basketball is never that serious in regards to disrespecting people. So you have to leave it on the floor."