Trash talking is one of the more underrated skill sets for the best athletes in the world, as being able to get into an opponent’s head is in and of itself an advantage. Some of the best ever were not just physical presences in their sport, but trash-talking savants as well.
Therefore, ESPN NBA analyst Jalen Rose decided to rank his top five trash talkers in all of sports, and his top choice is not a surprise: Muhammad Ali.
“He once said he was in his hotel room, he hit the light switch and he was in his bed before the room got dark,” Rose said. “The epitome of class, the greatest of all time.”
Rose’s full top five trash talkers ever looks like:
1) Muhammad Ali
2) Deion Sanders
3) Ric Flair
4) John McEnroe
5) Reggie Miller
Rose played with Miller with the Pacers, so he saw first hand how successful he was at trash talking opponents. For the other four to be not only on the list with Miller but actually ahead of Miller, shows how much he respects those athletes as trash talkers.
