Charles Barkley is known for having no filter, and he'll roast anyone—teammates, opponents, doesn't matter. During a Halftime Report, Shaq pleaded with Barkley to stop using the term "Hack-a-Shaq," asking it be called "Hack-a-Whoever" as long as it wasn’t his name. Barkley retorted, "We gonna solve this, we gonna call it Hack-a-Dummy and we just assume, we don't know we're talking about you."
His quip left Shaq momentarily speechless. The look on his face was priceless! Shaq probably wished he had just left it alone. Of course, that's why people love Barkley on TV. He'll say what everyone's thinking, and he doesn't care if you're a 7-foot NBA legend sitting right next to him.
At Kobe Bryant’s memorial service, of course, Shaq went up to speak. In classic Shaq style, he had to add a humorous moment that perfectly captured their relationship. He revealed that one day at practice, some teammates came up to him complaining that Kobe wasn’t passing the ball. Shaq said he would talk to Kobe.
He approached Kobe with the old adage, "Kobe, there's no 'I' in team." He probably thought he told him—a kind of “got him” moment. Without missing a beat, Bryant retorted, "I know, but there's an 'ME' in that motherf-er." Who roasted who? Bryant's legendary competitiveness and quick wit inevitably led to Kobe roasting his teammates. The story resulted in laughter amongst the entire crowd at the ceremony.
Richard Sherman, known for his sharp tongue and quick wit, has made a name for himself both on and off the field with his trash talk. While his most famous tirade came after a game-winning play against the San Francisco 49ers, where he proclaimed himself "the best corner in the game" and criticized Michael Crabtree, calling him a “sorry receiver”, Sherman's verbal jabs aren't limited to opponents.
In an exchange with teammate Marshawn Lynch, Sherman dished it out to friends as well. When Lynch teased him about getting "burnt" on a play, Sherman fired back without missing a beat, reminding Lynch of his own fumbling mishaps."Remember that play when number 24 ran the ball and then he fumbled and then he fumbled again, and then he tried to get it and he didn't?"
Tell us how you really feel, Tua! Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa recently raised eyebrows when he called Brian Flores (the former defensive coordinator for the Dolphins) a "terrible person."
According to Tagovailoa, Flores was a constant negative presence during practice and went as far as to ask his interviewers how they would feel if someone told them, "You suck at what you did...you don’t belong doing what you do...you shouldn’t be here." Flores definitely sounds like a downer to us, although he has expressed remorse for how he acted.
Larry Bird was notorious for roasting opponents, especially the Utah Jazz. Once, while watching the Jazz in the pregame warm-up, he told Jazz Coach Frank Layden that he would go for about 42 tonight. Late in the game when he had scored 42, Bird removed himself from the game, informing Layden that his work was done. That's cold!
In another game between the two, Layden, when asked by Bird (who was on fire) if he had anyone else on his team who could guard him, looked at his bench players for a moment, then responded no, that he didn't. Ouch. Roasted his own players.
The stoic Bill Belichick rarely engages in public banter. However, he couldn't resist taking a playful jab at his former star tight end, Rob Gronkowski during the Roast of Tom Brady. Referring to Gronkowski's stint as an NFL analyst on Fox, Belichick quipped, "Gronk, I've been watching you on Fox NFL Sunday. And I'm begging you, please, stop doing your job."
This deadpan remark, delivered with Belichick's characteristic dry humor, roasted Gronkowski's broadcasting skills and his intelligence. The comment plays on Gronkowski's reputation for being a lovable but not necessarily cerebral player—his analysis might be less than insightful. Coming from the normally reserved Belichick, this unexpected roast carried extra weight.
While the teasing has calmed down, the Kansas City Chiefs' locker room had been filled with jabs directed at tight end Travis Kelce since his high-profile relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift became public. Teammate James Winchester couldn't resist teasing Kelce, recalling how he was "smiling and blushing" when Swift first attended a game.
The Swift effect has extended beyond the Chiefs' locker room, with even retired NFL legend Tom Brady joining in on the fun. Brady humorously targeted Kansas City fans, quipping that their stadium's renowned loudness might be attributed to "14-year-old girls"—a nod to Swift's typically younger fanbase. He then delivered a stinging jab at the Chiefs' historical performance, “In honor of Tay Tay, let's take a look at the Chiefs Eras; Terrible for 50 years, good for 5. SHAKE IT OFF.”
Michael Jordan's competitive drive and demanding leadership style are legendary. He often roasted and straight-up criticized teammates he believed weren't meeting his standards. One particular incident involved Kwame Brown, the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, during Jordan's stint with the Washington Wizards.
During a team practice, Jordan unleashed a scathing verbal assault on Brown, then a rookie struggling to adapt to the NBA. Jordan's critique was so intense and personal that it allegedly brought Brown to the verge of tears. Jordan's uncompromising approach to motivating teammates, believing that pushing them to their limits would unlock their potential, didn't always yield the desired results. It was a roast that went too far.
Dustin Pedroia once shared a story roasting Ortiz about discovering his name wasn’t actually PeeWee—after playing together for nine years. He recounted that during warm-up of one game, the other team’s catcher says, “Hey, what’s up Dustin.” Pedroia says, “Hey, what’s up man.” Ortiz walks over and says, “Wtf did he just call you?”
“What?” Ortiz repeats, “What’d he just call you?” “Dustin.” “Why’d he call you that?” Pedroia responds, “That’s my name.” Ortiz says, “Oh, is that right?” Pedroia pauses, laughs, and says, “Yeah bro. I’ve played 1600 games with you. They’ve actually said it 5000 times. Now batting, number 15, Dustin Pedroia.” Ortiz simply responds, “Oh, I thought it was PeeWee.”
Infamous for his bigger-than-life personality and quotable phrases, Zlatan Ibrahimovic once said during an ESPN interview, “here I am like a Ferrari among Fiats”. This was his assessment of a league he said “could be so much faster, so much more tactical, so much more rhythmic.”
His roasted teammates didn’t take this statement too kindly. Ibrahimovic was amused by how the conversation blew up and if any of his teammates felt slighted, well, he didn't mean them.
“What I was trying to say: I was a Ferrari in MLS. That is all,” he noted. “Not my teammates. Because my teammates are with me, so if I'm a Ferrari, they are Ferraris, too.” Nice backtrack.
Kobe Bryant very publicly used Smush Parker to compare the Lakers' roster against other teams. During one particular comparison, he recounts a conversation with Steve Nash: "I tell Steve, you won MVP, but I was playing with Smush Parker... He's playing with [Leandro] Barbosa. I'm playing with Smush and Kwame [Brown]. My goodness."
It doesn’t end there, though. Bryant said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, "Smush Parker was the worst... He shouldn't have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. We let him walk on." Ouch!
Kevin Love's footwear choices have often flown under the radar in the world of NBA fashion. The Cleveland Cavaliers big man ended his association with the lesser-known brand 361° in late 2015, subsequently signing with Nike. Love's unconventional taste in basketball shoes dates back to his high school days, a fact that didn't escape the notice of his superstar teammate LeBron James.
In a social media roast, James called attention to Love's questionable footwear choices from his youth. LeBron's tweet, which read "WHAT ARE THOOOOOSSSSEEEE!!!", referenced a photo from SLAM Magazine's high school issue. The image, taken in 2006, shows a young Love sporting a special edition of Jay-Z's Reebok S. Carter BBall Low, designed for that year's Roundball Classic event.
During a period when Woods was struggling to maintain his legendary form, McIlroy remarked, "It's not that he's playing badly. He's simply playing badly by Tiger's standards. He's playing like an ordinary golfer."
This comment cut deep because it highlighted the immense expectations placed on Woods throughout his career. By suggesting that Woods had descended to the level of an "ordinary golfer," McIlroy inadvertently delivered one of the most brutal insults possible to a player who had redefined excellence in the sport.
Alex Rodriguez, despite his talent on the baseball field, often found himself the target of ridicule from both teammates and opponents due to his obsession with his public image. Within the Yankees' clubhouse, A-Rod's reputation took a hit as teammates reportedly dubbed him "A-Fraud" behind his back, a play on his nickname "A-Rod".
The mockery wasn't confined to his own team, as rivals like Boston Red Sox player Trot Nixon publicly derided Rodriguez, labeling him a "clown." We’re not sure which jab is worse. This criticism showed the disconnect between Rodriguez's on-field performance and his off-field persona.
In a team-building exercise, members of the Portugal national football team were challenged to draw each other. Focused on leveling up their soccer skills, most of the teammates were…not the greatest artists. Of course, the funniest part was when Cristiano Ronaldo was selected to draw Pepe. Ronaldo shoos Pepe away, not wanting him to see his drawing until he is completely done.
When he held up the final product, his loud, booming laugh took over the room—he’d drawn Pepe with a large nose, large square teeth, dots for hair, and incredibly thick eyebrows. Not to be outdone, Pepe draws Ronaldo, resulting in an equally funny caricature of the guy—an extremely square head, odd neck, and lopsided eyes. Let’s just say they were both roasted.
In an episode of The Jump, Rip Hamilton relays the story of trying to secure a place in Michael Jordan’s shoe brand. "At times, me and a couple of the young guys would come up to him and say, ‘Hey Mike, what do you think about putting us in the brand Jordan collection?,’ and he’d look at me and say, ‘Hey Rip! My sneakers are for All-Stars!'”
Hamilton learned the hard way that Jordan’s shoes aren’t just for anyone. Even today, the brand is incredibly selective about who they allow to join the prestigious list, with Paolo Benchero being the most recently added. Jordan even trash-talked Kobe, saying he would never fill those shoes.
When you lose a game, you typically feel down, reflect on what you could’ve done better, and head to the showers. This was not the case with the WNBA team, the Aces. After Wilson put up excellent numbers while her teammates performed below par, Wilson was heated.
“They ain’t did [] all day, but they wanna take a [] picture with Usher,” she seethed. Ouch. That’s one way to let your teammates know what you think. However, Wilson cooled off a little once Usher approached her, even offering him a jersey with her number on it.
On his self-titled show, Pat McAfee gets laughs any way he can. Even if it involves him roasting himself. In one such episode, he takes the stage, recalling how the week prior, people were calling for his head, and now they’re calling him a head hunter, referring to a big tackle he made.
He continues by saying, “I was asked to take a steroid test on Monday morning. If anybody has seen me with my shirt off, testing me for steroids would be like testing Tim Tebow for STDs.” Oh, Pat.
Fans seem to have been saying they could be the twelfth or thirteenth man on the bench. Jimmy Butler was tired of hearing it. He took to Tik Tok, sharing a video of him and another individual on a beach in the Bahamas.
“For everybody that thinks they’re better than the twelfth, thirteenth man on the bench in the NBA roster, this is what you’ll all look like after one of these workouts. Everybody. Uh, y'all don’t want it.” Panning to the guy sprawled out on the beach panting, viewers were shown what an intense NBA workout would look like. Jimmy says yall can’t handle it.
Tracy McGrady was once asked about the past fashion choices of his fellow All-Stars. He was shown pictures from the 2005 All-Star photoshoot. Most of his teammates he gave a pass to, stating, “We’re talking the era.” He reacted to Lebron, Kobe, Yao, and Manu.
"LeBron with the Nike T-shirt on and look like he got on some Jebo jeans for this era. I don't see anything wrong with this fit. We're talking the era so Bron gets a pass on this." Kobe and Yao also received passes, but when he got to Manu, he laughed, saying, "Manu looks like it looks like a substitute teacher right here. Or he looks like he's part of like a boy band or something."
Leon Powell shared a story from when he was a rookie. He recalls how Kevin Garnett absolutely roasted him. He asks Garnett for some advice: “Hey, KG. What’s up, man? I have a question for you.” He said go ahead, what’s the question. “Um, how do you think I should guard Dirk if I have a chance to guard him? How you think I should handle that?"
I was just talking and talking, and he looked at me with a death stare, I swear. Leon, are you a (bleeping) NBA pro, an NBA player? “Yes, Mr. KG sir, I am.” Well what the (bleep) are you asking me for? Do you have a scouting report, did you read your scouting report? “Yes I did, I read it about 10 times already.” So what you asking me for?
Donovon McNabb's reputation took a big hit in the months after the 2005 Super Bowl loss. Many claim he was out of shape and allegedly puking during the game. While many fans were upset at the loss, teammates, especially Terrell Owens, were even more frustrated with the quarterback.
Owens took several not-so-veiled shots at McNabb. Once, in an interview with ESPN, he said, "I'm not the one who got tired in the Super Bowl." While he never claimed McNabb threw up in the Super Bowl, he did recall the hacking-coughing story as a sign of bad conditioning, not of McNabb surviving a series of big hits.
On a lighter note, Kyle Kuzma, mic’d up during a game against the Kings, had a comedic take on roasting another player. First telling one of his teammates, then actually telling Buddy Hield—who was guarding him—that Hield better be the one guarding him.
Kuzma told Hield, “You better guard me, because if he guards me, it’s barbecue chicken.”—referring to Bobby Jackson. Later, it cuts to Kuzma driving past Jackson—who he said couldn’t guard him. The commentators were laughing, saying, “You gotta love it.”
David Ortiz often mocked Manny Ramirez the same way others did, using the team catchphrase “Manny being Manny.” The term "Manny being Manny" was a pattern of quirky behavior and seemingly lackadaisical play that often drew the ire of fans and media.
However, Ortiz reveals Manny's aloof persona was a calculated strategy. "Manny wanted people to believe that he was lazy, that he didn't really care. That's how he spotted your weakness. He was a hunter." The reality was that "nobody worked harder than Manny Ramirez."
Rafael Nadal couldn't resist poking fun at fellow Spaniard Marc Lopez during an interview. When asked about his preferred doubles partner, Nadal quickly quipped, "He better say Feliciano, he's his boss now." Nadal then recalled how Lopez had "ditched" him for a tournament, saying,"He had to play with me in Beijing and ended up ditching me for Tokyo so that can answer it. Life is like this. I just wanted to spare him having to answer."
However, Lopez praised Nadal's world-class abilities, acknowledging the unparalleled experience of playing with the 19-time Grand Slam champion and said: “In the end, Rafa is one of a kind when it comes to the tough moment you know that next to you is the best player of the world.” Nadal replied in a playful, sarcastic way, “Yeah, sure.”
Robin Ventura, the hard-hitting third baseman infamous for his ill-fated altercation with Nolan Ryan, was a key player in Bobby Valentine's New York Mets lineup. Todd Zeile shared a memorable incident from a crucial game against the rival St. Louis Cardinals, where Ventura's error led to his unexpected removal from the field.
Frustrated by Valentine's decision, Ventura returned to the dugout in street clothes, sans shoes, to express his disapproval. For the remainder of the game, he persistently criticized Valentine's judgment with a steady stream of verbal jabs at his manager. Later, the bases were loaded when Ventura's replacement stepped up to the plate. The substitute proceeded to blast a game-winning grand slam. Valentine got the last laugh!
