Based on a Sports Illustrated poll of more than 70 NBA players, these are the league's verbal villains.

1. Gary Payton, guard, SuperSonics He talks in the preseason, talks when he's on the bench, talks during his own charity game. "The most consistent trash talker I've ever encountered, and I can't even think of anybody who is a close second," says Denver guard Bryant Stith. When one of Stith's teammates dared Payton to shoot during a game last season, Payton drained a three. Says Stith, "Every time he came down the court after that he told the guy, 'That's why I make $12 million.' I mean, every time."

2. Michael Jordan, guard, Bulls A smooth talker. "His stuff is more refined," says Vancouver guard Anthony Peeler. "He'll tell you stuff while he's shooting, like 'You almost got that. You were this close.'" Jordan likes to dare opponents to challenge him. Says Indiana guard Haywoode Workman, "If you're not the focal point of the offense, he'll say, 'I'll give you this shot.' If you miss, he knows he's taken you out of your offense."

3. Charles Barkley, forward, Rockets The funniest talker in the league. He once asked the deeply religious A.C. Green, "A.C., if God is so good, how come he didn't give you a jump shot?" Says Vancouver forward Pete Chilcutt, "If he's not talking, it's not normal."

4. Reggie Miller, guard, Pacers He even talks trash at practice. He once hounded then teammate Sam Mitchell so fiercely during a workout that Mitchell chased him into the stands, looking to take a poke at him. "He knows how to get under your skin," says Atlanta's Steve Smith, a trashman himself.

5. Tim Hardaway, guard, Heat He rated himself third, behind Payton and the Bulls' Scottie Pippen. "I do it all," Hardaway says. "If you try to show me up, I can show you up more. And then tell you about it."

6. Chuck Person, forward, Spurs Even a year off due to chronic back trouble didn't hurt him in the rankings by his peers. "Don't let him make that first shot or he'll be talking to you, the team, the bench, the coach, everybody," says Dallas forward Dennis Scott. "Chuck's been injured, but he's still the Rifleman when it comes to talking."

7. John Starks, guard, Knicks "He talks a lot," says Miami guard Eric Murdock. "I think with John it's more that it gives him an emotional lift. He gets the crowd behind him." Starks often talks to everyone but his opponent. Says Spurs forward Charles Smith, who played alongside Starks with the Knicks from 1992 to '96, "He'll yell out to his teammates, saying, 'He can't hold me. He can't hold me.'"

8. Alonzo Mourning, center, Heat One of the few centers who traffics in trash, he likes to add a few choice words to his trademark scowl. "He talks a lot of stuff," says Sacramento forward Michael Smith. "He tries to intimidate people and scare people."

9. Allen Iverson, guard, 76ers Cocky. He even responds to compliments with trash. "I guess he knows he's good," says Miami center Duane Causwell. "You say, 'Nice pass,' and he says, 'I know it's a nice pass.'" As a rookie last season Iverson offended plenty of players, but not everybody. Says Sacramento's Smith, "Iverson talked a lot, but he also proved himself."

10. Anthony Mason, forward, Hornets He uses his tongue as a defensive weapon. "I say whatever I feel is going to get to the person," says Mason. "I might come up to someone who's red-hot and try to get into his head." "We've had some choice words," says Washington's notoriously polite Calbert Cheaney.

11. Charles Oakley, forward, Knicks Golden State forward Donyell Marshall calls him "an intimidator-type trash talker." Says one opponent, who chose to go unnamed and thus unmaimed, "He talks a lot of trash. He says all kinds of stuff."

13. Karl Malone, forward, Jazz The subtle agitator. "You don't know he's doing it if you're watching the game," says Chilcutt. "He's kind of a sneaky trash talker." The Lakers' Jon Barry remembers lining up beside Malone during one free throw. "He's jawing and saying how strong he is," says Barry. "I was in the second slot and he was in front of me, and he said, 'What? You're here? What are you doing here?'"

14. Nick Van Exel, guard, Lakers A purveyor of the conventional stuff, mostly of the "You-better-get-somebody-out-here-who-can-stop-me" variety. Says Milwaukee forward Tyrone Hill, "He's a trash talker, but that's just to motivate himself."

15. Dikembe Mutombo, center, Hawks His famous finger wag after making a block is trash talk in sign language. But Mutombo won't engage just anyone. "I won't talk to a guy like [Dennis] Rodman, no way," he says. "Rodman is sick. My father would stop talking to me if he knew I was talking to Dennis."

See also: The Dirt On Trash Talk