The Cleveland Cavaliers have a recent history of trolling, led by the master of this delicate craft, LeBron James.
The internet noticed when James wore hats and shirts that appeared to have fun with the Warriors loss after the Cavs took the 2016 NBA Finals. (He eventually explained at least one wardrobe choice was coincidental.) But later last year, there was James’ annual Halloween party where King James had tombstone cookies for the Warriors players Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. The most recent development from the team, however, might just be the most unusual yet.
Tucked neatly into ESPN‘s Baxter Holmes’ in-depth look into why the humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich is the NBA’s secret weapon of choice is a brief but pertinent anecdote about how the Cavs use even a simple PB&J as an opportunity to let rivals know exactly how they feel about them.
According to Baxter, the Cavs offer about a dozen Smucker’s prepackaged “Uncrustables” PB&Js to their opponents — the “Uncrustable” being a processed, once-frozen and sugary snack that players looking to play at their best should probably avoid.
The Cleveland players feast on “20 artisanal PB&J’s prior to tip-off, with homemade grape and raspberry jelly, as well as almond butter-and-banana and peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches,” a move that Baxter calls a form of “asymmetric nutritional warfare.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers, 2016 NBA champions and trollers extraordinaire.
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Write to Cady Lang at cady.lang@timemagazine.com