“Keep going at his a*s, Michael Jordan can’t guard you JR!”: Kevin Garnett didn’t know how to talk to MJ, he paid the hefty price

Very few in history trash-talked Michael Jordan and survived that game, Kevin Garnett wasn’t one of them.

A 19-year-old Kevin Garnett came into the league in 1995 as the 5th pick for the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first player from high school to get drafted in the NBA in 20 years.

His tenacity which he anyway maintained throughout his 21-year career, was clearly on show from Day 1.

Garnett wasn’t just a complete player who could be a scorer, and rebounder, and create plays not just for himself but for others as well.

He used to talk all the smack before doing his thing, while at it, and even afterwards. But he generally followed it up with a dominant performance, until one day he met the GOAT and dared to try it.

Also read: Michael Jordan, who retired 3 times, revealed he’d play 42 y/o if he had 7’0 Shaquille O’Neal

Isiah Rider tells a story of when rookie KG got a reality check by prime Michael Jordan

Although he played just 9 years in the league, Isiah Rider who went by simply J.R., played in the golden period of the NBA.

He saw the likes of KG and Kobe Bryant develop in front of his eyes, and even won a championship with Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal. Saw a prime MJ at the latter end of his career, and had a little rivalry with him as well.

In a podcast appearance a few years back, Rider talked about the time he and rookie Kevin were playing MJ and Co.in Chicago and were having a great night until The Big Ticket opened his big mouth during a time-out, standing right beside The Black Jesus.

Then you know what happened! But still, give it a listen in JR’s own words, who had the worst of it.

Obviously, that was the first and the last time Garnett would ever talk to Mike that way. But he kept that vigour and attitude against every other opponent throughout his career.

It didn’t matter if you were bigger or smaller than him, faster or had more finesse than him, the 2008 NBA champ would talk trash to you anyway, get his big numbers against you and on most occasions beat your team as well.

Also read: Jason ‘White Chocolate’ Williams thinks that scoring in the 90s, when Michael Jordan played was easier than it is today

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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