20 'Come at Me Bro' Moments in Sports

Look at me, bro. Look me in the eyes.

I am so serious right now, I want you to look me in the eyes and come at me. I'm standing right here, I just clowned you in front of everyone. Now what are you going to do?

We've all seen athletes get into tussles and arguments on the playing field, but not all of them involve the intense amount of bro-manship and taunting that you'll see in the following slides. Sports figures of all stripes get into the mix, from coaches, players and down the line to fans.

They just dissed you, and now they want a piece of you—but it's up to you to make the first move. Bro.

Marshall Henderson Taunts Auburn

Warning: Video shows some angry bros making NSFW hand gestures

After singlehandedly putting down Auburn in January, Ole Miss’ Marshall Henderson instigated an bro-down that will live on in college basketball mythology forever. 

After sealing the game with two free throws, Henderson walked over to the Auburn student section and mocked them mercilessly. A virtual wall of middle fingers were raised in response, and the several Auburn bros were begging him to come into the stands to throw down.

All that stood between them was the scorer’s table, an old confused man and a security guard who COULD NOT stop cheesing to save his life.  

But had there been nothing between them...well, I still don’t think anything would’ve happened, considering Marshall Henderson looks like a dude who wouldn’t stop a fight until his or someone else’s life had been taken.

Boxing Bro-Down

Two boxers. Four arms. Zero cares given.

Roy Jones Jr. was excellent at taunting, and this dual mockery moment he had with an opponent cannot be beat.

Francis Lessard vs. Sebastien Laferriere

Perhaps the biggest “Come at me, bro” moment of all time, the fight Francis Lessard and Sebastien Laferriere engaged in during an LNAH was the opposite of “chicken.”

The gloves were off, the referees stood idly by and nothing—absolutely nothing—happened. The two just circled each other, taking turns waving one another forward. It was like watching characters in a Street Fighter video game just sit there in a fighting stance without anyone at the controls. 

Make the move, bro. No, you make the move, bro.

After about a minute of weird non-fighting passed, the referees sent both of them to the penalty box, and the ultimate bro-down was completed.

When Mascots Attack

Fact: the Oregon Duck doesn’t care.

He doesn’t care if this is just a job. He doesn’t care if his responsibilities stop at “pump up the crowd/raise morale.” That’s not why he’s in the mascot game, baby. 

He’s there to show everyone that when you mess with the duck, you get the bill. So if in the course of his day an opponent’s mascot catches some duck groin to the face...well, it’s all in the game, yo.

The truth, however, is the Duck ended up getting the bill for this stunt and had to serve a one-game suspension for attacking the Houston Cougars mascot.

Bronco Mendenhall Stares Down Drunk Bro

You don’t try to bro-down on a man named “Bronco” unless you’re willing to squash the beef with some fisticuffs.

That being said, this sweaty Utah field rusher quickly found himself backing away when BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall responded to his smack talk by heading straight at the man.

Mendenhall was just daring this guy to do something, but this suspendered bro quickly piped down when he realized things were about to get real.

It’s Not a Dance-Off, Bro

All the slick breakdancing moves in the world didn’t change the fact that one of these fighters was here to win.

You wanted him to test your moves, dancing guy. You got it.

Yancy Gates Wants All You Bros

Yancy Gates didn’t want a slice of Xavier, he wanted the whole chicken pot pie.

After banishing Kenny Frease’s face into the darkest pits of the underworld, the giant Cincinnati forward stared down the entirety of the Musketeers basketball team and its staff, yelling for them to come get them a piece. 

They didn’t oblige.

MMA Fighter Bros Himself out the Fight

Pounding his own head. Birding out his arms.

If “Bro-ing Down 101” were a class, a move-for-move diagram of this MMA fighter’s taunting sequence would be found inside its textbook. This is just fundamental bro-manship.

Lincoln Haymakers Coach Throws It Down

After his team gave up a touchdown to an Omaha Beef running back R.J. Rollins in a Champions Professional Indoor Football League game, Lincoln Haymakers coach Dave Brumagen decided to lay the smackdown. 

Brumagen met Rollins head-on at midfield and exploded into him with a two-arm shiver. Other Omaha Beef players came to intervene, and when Brumagen stood his ground, they took him on a ride to the wall.

What was the lofty price the Haymakers coach paid for this on-field attack? A season-long suspension and a $500 fine.

Somewhere in New Orleans, Sean Payton’s head just exploded.

Come at Me, Joe

Before they ever met in the ring, Sonny Liston was constantly harassed by Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay), who wanted to have a title fight.

Ali harangued Liston to no end, and even confronted him in a Las Vegas casino to issue challenges. No one interrupts Liston when he's playing craps, however, and the man pulled out a revolver and blasted off a volley of shots in Ali's direction.

Remembering he had an appointment elsewhere, Ali took off, not knowing the gun was full of blanks.

Kobe Gets Baptized

A 2000 game between the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks ended up in a slugging carnival for a young Kobe Bryant, who squared up on the Knicks’ Chris Childs and received a quick one-two in the face for his troubles. 

Bryant and Childs stood toe-to-toe staring each other down, daring the other to make the move until Bryant rubbed him with a soft elbow to the chest. At that point it was Childs' turn, and instead of more posturing he jacked Bryant flush in the mouth.

Tom Crean Goes After Jeff Meyer

After pulling out a gut-churner against Michigan in early March, Indiana head coach Tom Crean went for the jugular—specifically the jugular of Wolverines assistant coach Jeff Meyer.

Meyer had been a member of the Indiana basketball staff under former head coach Kelvin Sampson—a staff who had committed numerous recruiting violations that essentially tanked the program in 2008. 

Crean came Meyer after a brief exchange in the handshake line that allegedly went sour, yelling “You held back the program, [bro]!”*

The incident ended when Crean had to be restrained, and the Hoosiers coach ended up scampering off the court smiling like a dog who had just scared off a stranger. 

*He didn’t say “bro,” but you could definitely imagine him doing it.

Matt Hendricks Will See You After the Game

He’s memorizing your face because he wants to see it destroyed. 

The Washington Capitals' Matt Hendricks made eye contact with a Boston Bruins heckler while heading to the locker room, appearing to dare him to stay after the game for a discussion.

Think the guy stuck around to chat? Me neither.

Jazz Mascot Takes Down Fan

It might be fake, but the Utah Jazz’s mascot pulled a classic “Come at me” moment after jacking a hat from a “Cavaliers fan” and inviting him to retrieve it on the court. 

Even though it was staged, it still feels like flawless victory for the Jazz, whose mascot is one of the most underrated in the NBA.

Kobe Doesn’t Flinch

Get off him, Matt Barnes. The Mamba doesn’t flinch.

Barnes tried to psych out Kobe Bryant and failed miserably, leading to a chest-up trash talking moment between the two.

Score this round for Bryant.

Nolan Ryan Beats Down Robin Ventura

After getting plugged in the shoulder by Nolan Ryan, Robin Ventura charged the mound looking to reduce the old man into dust.

The only problem with that was, Ryan was waiting. This was 100 percent his idea—a pitch with the message “Come at me” attached to the end. As you can see, Ryan grabbed Ventura in a headlock and went to town, tuning the young man up in a way he’ll never forget.

Tie Domi and Donald Brashear Drop the Gloves

Two tough guys with plenty of fight to go around, Tie Domi and Donald Brashear had to drop the gloves.

Look at the ceremony, the dance of two seasoned brutes who know when it's time to go. Domi throws the challenge out, dropping heads like "You want some of this?" Brashear nods, and then it's all haymakers and crosses from there on out.

Zach Greinke Gets Got

A wild pitch or an intentional targeting?  

Zach Greinke and Carlos Quentin ended up throwing down in the middle of the field after a Grienke pitch hit Quentin in the arm. Quentin inferred it was an intentional provocation in the post game interviews, and said the two have a longstanding beef. 

Either way, neither were backing off when Quentin charged the mound, and the ensuing collision resulted in a broken collarbone for Greinke.

That’s why you don’t crow hop into a fight.

Roger Clemens Throws Bat at Mike Piazza

After throwing a shattered piece of bat at Mike Piazza, Roger Clemens tried to say that he thought it was “the ball.”

What he meant to say was “Sorry ‘bout it, bro.”

Barkley vs. Shaq: The Bro-Down Begins

Nothing says “Come at me” quite like throwing an inflated leather ball in someone’s face.

It’s usually a good tactic for starting a fight, but Charles Barkley might’ve thought better of chest-passing the ball at Shaquille O’Neal’s dome if he knew it was going to end with Shaq nearly beating Barkley into a pile of hummus. 

The moment the ball touched O’Neal’s skin (cool, Gold Bond-protected skin) it was on. O’Neal came on like a man on fire, swinging his arms in a vicious frenzy.

These days, the former NBA stars are co-analysts for Turner Sports, but it doesn’t stop them from tackling each other.