Despite Prohibition, NBA Social Media Accounts Are Finding Some Nice Loopholes to Shit Talk

@ATLHawks pic.twitter.com/I5cOg47d5i
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 11, 2017

The NBA is the best league, hands-down. The wokeness, the on-court flare, the off-court outfits, the generally laxed stance on celebrations (unlike certain other, Goodell-run leagues). But recently the NBA laid down some rare prohibitive ground rules about how teams should behave themselves on social media, in an attempt to crack down on shit talk. Little did the NBA realize: they brought a knife to a gunfight in the land of trolls.

A memo from the league was circulating around team offices that included the passage:

Teams are prohibited from mocking and/or ridiculing opponents (including teams, players, team personnel (including owners) and opponents' home cities) and game officials on social media in any form, including through statements, pictures or videos.

If you thought that teams PR accounts were going to take that lying down, you'd be dead wrong. During last night's game between the Sacramento Kings and the Atlanta Hawks, the two teams took on a type of banter that teetered on the fine line of genteel and trolled-out sarcasm:

LMAOOOO. I'm crying at these teams social media after the NBA said no more hateful back and forth conversations. pic.twitter.com/EmhAwvujed
— Aaron. (@aaron_est_laced) February 11, 2017

But the Hawks and Kings weren't the only ones to get in on the subtle dis action. Just take a look at this, tweeted out by the Warriors this morning:

IT'S GAME DAY! The Dubs continue their road trip with a visit to Oklahoma City » https://t.co/YWLWULXvrM pic.twitter.com/YO3jTWOC19
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) February 11, 2017

Notice anyone missing? All anyone and their moms can talk about is Kevin Durant's homecoming and faceoff against betrayed former brother-in-arms Russell Westbrook, but here the Warriors are—without any words—dropping lesser-celebrated small forward Andre Roberson into their hype image. A burn to both Westbrook and Roberson in one blow. This NBA ban on shit talk may just backfire, causing some actual beef.