Dion Waiters and the Rebirth of Trash Talking
Gone but not forgotten, Dion Waiters is taking the league by storm — and is letting every single person hear it
Many sportswriters and NBA connoisseurs believe we are in the golden age of athletic ability in the league. We do see more freaks than actual humans in the league. Triple-doubles are becoming a gamely occurrence, while poster dunks may not even make it on to basketball cards anymore. That’s all fine and well, but the NBA is still not the same.
What the game is missing is the trash talking personalities of old.
Sure, you see it every once in awhile. LeBron has his played out stomping dance and Curry may shimmy every few games, but these are insulting compared what we’re used to. Shaq used to embarrass people in the post and then walk over their lifeless bodies before they even knew what was happening. Gary Payton used to start talking before he even got off the bus for games. Do I even have to mention the Mutombo finger wag?
With superstars like Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and a slew of others fading into retirement, we are left with little to no true trash talkers. Yes, the talent level has reached incredible heights, there are more stars in the league than ever before. We do still have mega personalities like Russell Westbrook, but trash talking has taken a back seat in the NBA.
It’s an intricate part of the sport. Even Michael Jordan was a trash talker. We don’t need a league of Kawhi Leonards — super talented terminators who receive their commands and destroy everything in their path without showing even minuscule amounts of emotion. We need players not only known for their talent, but known for their mouths.
Just when it looked like Twitter fingers and scowls were the furthest our league would go, we received the most unlikely hero in the form of Dion Waiters.
Waiters is not the hero we deserve, but the one we need right now. A man who was once labeled a bust and exiled to the ends of benches has now risen from the ashes of trash talkers before him, and is quickly sprinting up the ladder as one of the most appealing players in the league.
It isn’t just a big mouth that puts you in the league of trash talkers before you. There’s a tried and true formula that has given us some of the most beloved players in the game. While not every qualification is a must, the more boxes you check off, the more you become a must-watch smack slinger.
First comes the underdog quality. You can look in the mirror for as long as you want and convince yourself you aren’t a hipster, but not everyone wants to love the best players in the game. It’s that simple. Waiters gives us the opportunity to love a player who’s been kicked to the curb and left for dead on a team that is a spitting image of himself. No one expected Waiters to put up a career best in points, 3-point %, assists, and effective field goal percentage. He’s doing all of this while reviving the Heat and making them one of the most dangerous teams in the league over the last two months.
Next, he puts himself in the position to talk as much trash as he wants. It’s called the hero clause. People pay less attention when you’re jawing in someone’s face with 30 minutes left in the game. You have to have all eyes on you, meaning you have to perform during crunch time.
Check.
Now that you’re the underdog who can perform late in the game, the world is your oyster. The stage is set — and it’s time to deliver. That’s where Waiters’ unhinges his jaw and lets everyone with ears hear about it.
Lastly and most important is the elephant-sized chip on the shoulder that fans fall in love with. There are few people who don’t love a good revenge story. If you can provide one, you’ve solidified yourself in trash talking glory.
That’s exactly what Waiters gave us. He drilled a dagger, then turned his attention to anyone foolish enough to support the Cavs while he was at work. Just drilling threes and spewing insults at those who dare wear the colors of the opposing team is what Waiters does.
Keep talking your shit, Dion. Trash talkers everywhere are behind you.
