Michael Jordan is arguably one of the greatest trash-talkers in the league’s history. Every athlete who has played against the Chicago Bulls legend can attest to that claim. Moreover, Jordan’s trash talk was not limited to his opposition only, he used to give a hard time to his own teammates during practice as well.

So it becomes obvious that anyone who gets to learn the trades of this game will also pick up some elite trash talk as well. This is the case with Richard Hamilton who got to play with MJ during his Washington Wizards days. Recently, Hamilton talked about joining MJ in his notorious habit and defeating the late great Kobe Bryant‘s team for the championship.

Richard Hamilton talks about winning the NBA championship against Kobe Bryant

The LA Lakers were in their absolute prime during the 2000s. After their three-peat, they became a serious threat to every other team in the league. The team led by the formidable duo of Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal was a strong contender for the 2004 NBA title. However, the ex-teammate of Jordan had made his way to the Detroit Pistons by that time and was all set to get his hands on his first NBA trophy.

They did not only flip the script on the Lakers but did it in style. The Pistons closed the series in just five games and led their franchise, against all odds, to the promised land. Recently, Hamilton talked about his experience playing against a stacked Lakers squad. He said, “Before the series even started”, the Pistons knew that they were better than their opponents. Hamilton said that they had only one piece missing from their puzzle and the addition of Rasheed Wallace did the trick for them.

Hamilton did show respect to the Lakers squad by saying that they were a great team, but the Pistons proved that they were slightly better.

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Richard Hamilton’s common notorious habit with Michael Jordan

Hamilton was fortunate to share the locker room with one of his idols during his time with the Wizards. When asked about whether MJ was heavy on trash talks at that point in his career, he said “YES. But that’s part of the game”. Hamilton then went on to admit that he is also big on trash-talking.

He said that it is a byproduct of an athlete’s zeal to do better for their teams, teammates, and the fans as a unit. The 3x NBA All-Star concluded that trash talk becomes a part of the game when you play a competitive sport.

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