Star Wars: When Retired Players Criticize Current Athletes
Former athletes take shots at today's sports stars.
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Retired Athletes Take Shots at Current Sports Stars - Gary Payton recently told TMZ that today’s NBA is being dominated by the play of guards such as the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, and Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul. And although he respects their games… “The Glove,” who was known for locking down players on the defensive end as well as lighting it up on offense, said they can’t see him just yet. "When they get to my level,” the Hall of Famer said, “then they can talk to me!” Payton isn’t the first retired star to take shots at the current crop of athletes and he likely won’t be the last.(Photos from Left: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images, Cindy Ord/BET/Getty Images for BET)
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Michael Jordan Takes Kobe Over LeBron - When asked whether he’d pick Kobe Bryant or LeBron James during an interview with Ahmad Rashad on NBA TV early 2013, Michael Jordan gave the nod to Bryant, saying, “If you had to pick between the two, that would be a tough choice, but five beats one every time I look at it, and not that he [LeBron James] won’t get five, he may get more than that, but five is bigger than one.” Later in the year, Jordan said he’d go with James…but only because Bryant was battling through injuries. Sounds like he made James his default pick.(Photos from Left: Isaac Brekken/Getty Images for Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational, Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Schools King James - When asked to sculpt his Mount Rushmore of hoops during a February 2014 interview, LeBron James mentioned Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Oscar Robertson.He also said by the time his career is done he would have bumped one of those guys off the mountain. Perhaps taking offense to King James’ omission was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time points leader, told the Los Angeles Daily News: "LeBron James was talking about how he’s the best ever. He never saw Wilt Chamberlain play. If he had, he wouldn’t say that. Whenever he averages 55 points a game, then I might want to listen to what he has to say." Down with the King. (Photos from Left: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images, Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
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Shaquille O'Neal Disses Dwight Howard - Always opinionated and outspoken, Shaq blasted Dwight Howard for bolting Los Angeles to play for the Houston Rockets last off season. "It was expected — not everyone can handle being under the bright lights,” O’Neal told reporters while making an appearance at Daytona International in Florida last July. It was a safe move to go to a little town like Houston." He has also mentioned that Howard is “too nice” in the past. We think that Shaq jabs Dwight to reiterate that the Superman ‘S’ they both love is off limits to the younger center. Up, up, and away.(Photos from Left: Paul A. Hebert/Getty Images, Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Jim Brown Takes Shot at Kobe Bryant - NFL legend Jim Brown slammed Kobe Bryant during an appearance on the Arsenio Hall show last year, saying the Los Angeles Lakers' star threw Shaquille O’Neal under the bus and is “somewhat confused about our culture because [Bryant] was brought up in another country.” Naturally, Bryant took offense to Brown’s thoughts…and we’d be willing to bet that the brutally honest Brown would stick to his convictions on this one.(Photos from left: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images, Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Audi)
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Sugar Ray Leonard Knocks Adrien Broner Out - After watching Adrien Broner take a brutal beating from Marcos Maidana in December 2013, boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard told BadLeftHook.com, “Right now he's at a critical point because he was hurt. Hurt bad, too. But he's so talented. Naturally talented. Gifted. But he wants to be like [Floyd] Mayweather so bad. Too bad. Too bad!” Good punch, bad intentions.(Photos from left: Chris Szagola/Landov, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
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Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders Rip Tony Romo - Former Dallas Cowboys teammates Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin took turns ripping Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo a few years back for more shortcomings. Sanders essentially said that Romo brings fans to the same disappointing conclusion every year, while Irvin excluded Romo from the company of league’s best quarterbacks. Truth hurts.(Photos from left: Stacy Revere/Getty Images, Robert Mora/Getty Images)
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Tiki Barber Shamelessly Rips Eli Manning - Making his live television debut as an NBC football analyst in 2007 just one year after retiring from the New York Giants, Tiki Barber ripped Giants quarterback Eli Manning in the worst way, questioning his ability to lead men and adding that his voice wasn’t strong enough and almost comical at times. How did Manning respond? By leading the Giants to a Super Bowl win that season. NBC also had Barber interview Manning during the Super Bowl celebration.(Photos from left: Chris Trotman/Getty Images , Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)
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Rodney Harrison Takes Shots at Rob Gronkowski - Rodney Harrison was a pretty no-nonsense, borderline sneaky and willing to get dirty kind of player in the NFL. So when the former New England Patriots star saw a video of current Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski dancing shirtless following a Patriots Super Bowl loss in 2012, Harrison was irate. The retired vet said had he been at the party, Gronkowski “would have got his head rung.” Tough talk.(Photos from left: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images, Robin Marchant/Getty Images for ESPN)