Summer of shade: Some of the NBA’s pettiest moments this offseason

While hockey players do a great job of chirping at one another on the ice and football players pummel each other on the field, basketball players excel at throwing shade off the court.

And thanks to social media, fans can now follow along with all the offseason drama of the NBA.

Here are some of the pettiest NBA moments this summer:

1. Draymond Green’s “Quickie” shirt and the debacle that followed

The Warriors were able to reclaim the Larry O’Brien Trophy after defeating the Cavaliers in five games in the NBA Finals in June.

The Bay Area held a parade for the champions, and Draymond Green decided to sport a “Quickie” shirt.

Green explained that the “Q” on the shirt, which looked similar to the Q in the Quicken Loans logo, was a reference to the Cavaliers’ arena. He also said that the “Quickie” was in reference to how quickly they were able to beat Cleveland — keep in mind, the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals the year before.

But Green’s pettiness set him up for what happened next. LeBron James snapped a shot of Green on a bus at the parade and pulled out the classic “that’s what she said” joke on Instagram.

Green decided to respond with a jab of his own, calling out James’ newly bald head — although, let’s be honest, it was only a matter of time before James finally accepted his receding hairline.

And let us not forget when Green decided to address James’ “super team” comment during his championship-parade speech.

2. Kevin Durant’s “cupcake” hat

Clearly the Warriors saw their NBA Finals win as the perfect opportunity to make a statement with their wardrobe. Kevin Durant decided to sport a hat that had a cupcake with a gold ring on top.

The backstory: Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins reported last year that Durant would call teammates who were acting soft “cupcakes.”

For the Fourth of July in 2016, Russell Westbrook posted a picture on Instagram of what appeared to be three harmless plates of red, white and blue cupcakes.

Festive, right? Wrong. Allegedly that post was meant to troll Durant, who had switched over to the Warriors earlier that summer.

3. The grind doesn’t stop for Dirk Nowitzki during the offseason

It’s the offseason, and everyone is trying to outwork their opponents. LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Ben Simmons have all posted workout pictures and videos on their respective social-media accounts.

Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki decided to join the crowd and share his NBA workout.

Yes, that’s Nowitzki on a bike at a lake because, you know, it’s summer. This was one of the most pleasant troll moments possibly ever on Twitter.

Keep on riding, Nowitzki.

4. Stephen Curry mocks LeBron James’ workout videos

Sometimes the King is asking for it.

LeBron James has been busy all summer posting obnoxious workout videos on Instagram and Snapchat. Videos that make you want to say, “OK, we get it. You work out.”

During a wedding last month, Stephen Curry mocked James’ videos, while Kyrie Irving laughed in the background.

This also comes after Irving reportedly asked for a trade from the Cavaliers, to which James was “blindsided and disappointed,” according to ESPN. Irving reportedly unfollowed James on Instagram last month, too.

5. Blake Griffin calls out Rockets’ GM on Twitter

Blake Griffin threw shade at Rockets general manager Daryl Morey on Twitter in June after Morey suggested that the criteria for the MVP award seemed to be “shifting away from winning.”

Morey was probably salty that James Harden didn’t receive the award after the Rockets won 55 games last season, while the Thunder and Russell Westbrook, who was crowned the league’s MVP, only won 47 games.

Griffin mocked Morey and said the NBA should do away with championships and give everyone participation trophies.

6. LaVar Ball vs. the world

Need I say more?

LaVar Ball has been busy all year, spewing controversial statements like a broken faucet, while trying to promote his family’s “Big Baller” brand.

Here are just a few:

LaVar vs. MJ

Ball has been trying to troll Michael Jordan for the last few months, claiming he could beat the GOAT on the court. As a true professional, Jordan has kept his mouth quiet about Ball.

That was until this week. Jordan said: “I don’t think he could beat me if I was one-legged.”

Shortly after the comment, Ball went on ESPN radio to talk about Jordan. He also tweeted out an invitation to Jordan for a one-on-one pay-per-view matchup between the two.

Jordan has yet to respond to Ball.

LaVar vs. Joel Embiid

Another non-baller moment for Ball was his brief Twitter beef with 76ers center Joel Embiid.

The two exchanged some explicit comments back-and-forth on Twitter and Instagram.

Embiid told his teammate Ben Simmons on Twitter to dunk on LaVar Ball’s son Lonzo.

In an interview with Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic (because LaVar will talk with anyone willing to listen), Ball threw shade at Embiid.

“When you don’t win and don’t even make the playoffs and don’t even stay on the court long enough, that’s the best thing you can do — is tweet and make up some stuff,” Ball said. “Ain’t nobody else doing that because they’re working on their games in the gym.”

Embiid responded with a video, saying “F— LaVar.”

7. Draymond Green picks a side

Connor McGregor was trying to throw shade at Floyd Mayweather when he crossed paths with an NBA troll.

McGregor was wearing a CJ Watson jersey because Mayweather pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery and two counts of harassment in 2010 for assaulting his former girlfriend, who was allegedly involved with Watson at the time.

Green made it clear that he’s on Mayweather’s side in an Instagram post.

McGregor did clap back in a comment, saying: “That’s C.J Watson mate. I don’t know who the f— you are. No disrespect tho, kid, keep hustling and stay in school … I dribble heads off the floor. Not a ball. This is no game here, kid.”

Stay petty, NBA.

Follow me on Twitter: @madkenney