Kevin Garnett is one of the meanest dudes to grace the court in NBA history. Not only was his smack-talking legendary but he had the sheer physical strength to back it up. Widely considered among the top three power forwards, Garnett skillfully used this strength to dominate the paint but apparently that wasn’t the only place his strength shined. His beloved teammate and now podcast co-host, Paul Pierce, in an older episode of All the Smoke podcast, talked about how KG’s brute strength far exceeded that of an infamous big man.
Advertisement
The video, titled “Crackin’ Moment #4: Never bet against the Big Ticket,” featured several voices from the Celtics 2008 title team, with each member recounting the memorable arm-wrestling match between Garnett and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. From the beginning, Davis emphasized how much confidence he had in his physical prowess, saying, “You know, I’m a strong guy, so I know I’ve beat Leon [Powe], I could beat Ticket.”
Crackin’ Moment #4: Never bet against the Big Ticket ️
Doc Rivers, KG and Paul recall the infamous Ticket v. Big Baby arm wrestling match. pic.twitter.com/PtzXWln5UH
— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) December 30, 2024
That didn’t prove to be the consensus throughout Boston’s locker room, though. The 15-time All-Star shouted out Paul Pierce, who he said was the “only one who believed in him” before the match. Doc Rivers was concerned that his star big man would injure himself, but the Truth was excited for this contest.
“Paul Pierce comes up, he’s like… I got $2,000 on Garnett, right away,” Brian Scalabrine added while throwing around imaginary money. KG wasn’t sure that his longtime running mate actually believed in him, but the former forward assured the 48-year-old that his sentiment was genuine. “Kevin Garnett is not stronger than Big Baby,” Rivers responded. “But his will is, though,” Pierce immediately fired back.
The 2004 MVP didn’t hold back from calling out his teammates who didn’t have his back, however. He reminisced how everyone would shout, “I got [Big] Baby, I got [Big] Baby.” He thought maybe there was something extra behind the jeers he faced from the rest of the Celtics, “I looked at everybody like ‘Damn, that’s how y’all feel?'”.
Rivers then informed the guys how he wasn’t even aware the contest was actually happening until Rajon Rondo alerted him, concerned for Garnett’s safety. The former Celtics coach eventually made it, but the highly anticipated matchup was already in motion. According to Pierce, the battle of muscle was deadlocked for five minutes before the South Carolina native was able to exhaust his hefty backup. “And then he wait until [Big] Baby got tired and he slammed him,” the 2008 Finals MVP added, reenacting the ferocious arm slam.
The 21-year veteran underlined the slow and steady demise of his opponent, “Aw s**t, this moving, big fella,” KG reminisced. Pierce recalled his excitement as KG’s lone supporter while Scalabrine recollected how stunned the rest of the team was.
Rivers then shared how Sam Cassell once told him that Garnett’s arm-wrestling victory was the biggest athletic feat he had ever seen. The test of wills must have been something special because the match continues to stick with members of the team years later.
