In addition to being one of the most skilled forwards in NBA history, Kevin Garnett was also revered for his trash-talking. The Celtics legend used his wit to get under people’s skins and either deflate their morale or shake their focus. He had little regard for his opponents’ age, experience, or ability when talking trash. So to escape his verbal assault, a rookie Steven Adams came up with a brilliant plan.
Advertisement
During an appearance on The Morning Shift, the 31-year-old talked about his experience playing against the Hall of Famer. He recalled that in a game in his rookie year against Garnett and the Nets, the then-Thunder star saw the veteran forward get into a battle of wits on the court with Kendrick Perkins.
When Adams checked into the game and saw the veteran turn his attention to him, he managed to dissuade him by claiming he didn’t speak English. The center revealed,
“My confidence wasn’t high, man, so I wasn’t trying to get torn down by him. Because he’s the man with the s**t talking… They [KG and Perkins] started mouthing off and then I was coming in and he was like, ‘Yo, look at this lil motherf***er’ and I was like, ‘Bro, no English, bro.’ He didn’t say anything after that thank goodness. He would’ve ruined me. I would’ve cried.”
View this post on Instagram
Adams’ hilarious admission came across Garnett’s timeline on X, who couldn’t help but be amused. The Hall of Famer laughed about it and jokingly warned the Rockets star that he was coming after him.
Haaaaaa! Gonna catch his ass at LA Fitness in the old head run… https://t.co/9UP9WxWOjq
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) August 7, 2024
If the two ever faced off again, the Hall of Famer will try to get under the center’s skin with his trash talk, but the 31-year-old will back himself to outduel him on the court. When the two battled for the first time in 2013, the rookie didn’t have enough faith in his ability to take on Garnett, even though he was entering the twilight years of his illustrious career.
But the 11-year veteran now has the upper hand. However, given Garnett’s innate ability to disrupt his opponents’ focus with his trash-talk, Adams would have to bring his A-game against the 48-year-old retired forward.
