Kevin Garnett Shows Kobe Bryant Love For His Incredible 2000 Finals Takeover Upon Shaquille O’Neal Fouling Out

The Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals marked the turning point of Kobe Bryant’s career. After then-Los Angeles Lakers talisman Shaquille O’Neal fouled out of the game, the Black Mamba stepped up to lead the franchise to a 120-118 win. Kevin Garnett recently reflected on this performance while admiring the late great’s heroics.

After a clip of Tyronn Lue discussing the intricate details of the moment surfaced from All The Smoke’s Instagram handle, it caught KG’s eyes. The latter consequently shared the post from his story to honor the 5x champion. In doing so, Garnett also paid his tribute to Lue, mentioning,

“BEANFOREVER. Tlou for president. One of the best doing it”.

KG on IG pic.twitter.com/aOsEPxRK0M

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) August 3, 2024

Alongside Bryant‘s excellence, Garnett‘s excitement was sparked evidently by Lue’s exceptional storytelling. After all, as a member of the then-Lakers roster, Lue detailed the emotions of the scenario brilliantly. Recalling the game during his appearance on the show last year, the 47-year-old said,

“Shaq fouled out. So everybody kind of panicked… He [Kobe Bryant] took a couple of bad shots, and he missed three shots in a row… Phil [Jackson] was on him a little bit in the timeout. He came out and I think he might’ve scored 12 straight or something. Then he hit that big shot and he’s like, ‘Man, relax. Relax. I got this’. After that series, that’s when it was over. It was over”.

These words pointed out Bryant’s memorable 28-point performance that night. Playing through an ankle injury, the 18x All-Star featured for an impressive 47 minutes, scoring 8 points in the final five minutes to secure an overtime victory. This gave the Lakers a 3-1 lead in the Finals, which they eventually won to clinch their first title in nine years.

These factors make the Lakers icon’s heroic display even more memorable, justifying KG’s excitement. Although Garnett admired this mindset from a fan’s perspective, he always disliked being on the receiving end of such performances.

Kobe Bryant’s words once rubbed Kevin Garnett the wrong way

The 2008 NBA Finals are considered one of the most memorable for several reasons. On the one hand, it was Bryant’s first chance to showcase his leadership by winning a championship without Shaq. On the other hand, it was KG’s first-ever opportunity to win a championship after more than a decade of NBA struggles.

So, when the two titans clashed on the floor, words were exchanged. The Black Mamba, in particular, allegedly wanted to gain an edge from the start. As a result, he trash-talked Garnett from the beginning of the series. Recalling those moments, the latter once mentioned on the Knuckleheads Podcast,

“You know Kob was so arrogant and so much talking to me like they had already won it. But he was like, ‘Man, just first boy. You know you never forget your first, you know. You know what I’m saying?’ He was talking to me on some big brother like, get outta here. You know, I gotta remember I’m older than (you) bro”.

However, Bryant’s tactic backfired heavily as The Big Ticket dominated the series. Averaging 18.2 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists per game, he led the Boston Celtics to a 4-2 win in the Finals, leading his first and the franchise’s 17th championship. This added a significant chapter to their rivalry, with Garnett getting the better of Bryant on this occasion.