Washington Wizards point guard John Wall referred to J.J. Barea as "a little midget" on Monday night, while Barea said he doesn't believe Wall is liked by his teammates.
The verbal barbs came after an on-court exchange between the two point guards during the Dallas Mavericks' 98-75 rout of the Wizards on Monday night, which resulted in a technical foul for Barea midway through the fourth quarter.
Asked about the incident with Barea, Wall told reporters that he thought it was funny.
"Just a little midget trying to get mad," Wall said. "I don't pay him no mind."
When Wall's comments were relayed to Barea, the 33-year-old veteran fired back.
"He was trying to be a tough guy, but he's not," Barea said, according to The Dallas Morning News. "He wasn't like that before, a couple years ago. He probably changed.
"So now I have somebody in the NBA that I don't like. It's my first. I don't like him at all now. But I don't think his teammates like him, either. So it's nothing new for him."
Barea was whistled for a technical foul with 7:42 remaining in the game and the Mavericks up by 22 points.
The two men traded stares and words after Barea committed an offensive foul and put up a shot after the whistle, with Wall smacking his arm in the process.
Dallas has now won 17 of its past 19 games against the Wizards.
