Gary Payton, Larry Bird, Rasheed Wallace, and even Michael Jordan; what did all these players have in common? They were known to be some of the most disrespectful trash-talkers in league history. Another name that belongs in the top five trash talkers in NBA history would hands-down be the Big Ticket, Kevin Garnett. And Iman Shumpert just gave us another example as to why.
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Shumpert has been on quite a few podcasts, sharing his days in the league, his favorite teammates, and the worst foes he ever went up against in the NBA. He seems to have a story for everything, including one about Kevin Garnett’s trash-talking,
“Everybody see KG tweak out on TV. Being in game and hear him really tweaking and really saying something to like really disturb you…The second time we had played against him, maybe third time I realized, ‘Ah, he not all the way just talking sh*t. He allowing his team to understand where he’s at…”
Former Cleveland Cavaliers described what went down while facing the trash talk, “But then I realized he’s saying, you’re in the clear, it’s one-on-one quarterback back there. ‘Ball screen ain’t coming yet. Okay, this is what they running. So, I’m like, ‘Damn, bro. That’s raw.’ You’ll get out and think this man gang-banging. Nah, this man is real life quarterbacking this whole defense.”
Going up against Kevin Garnett for the first time, Iman Shumpert was bound to be taken aback by the constant energy and the relentless trash-talking that came along with it. Most of the time, it gets into an opposing player’s head, leading him to lose his cool on the court and make mistakes. But by the time he played Garnett a couple of times, Shumpert realized he wasn’t just trash-talking, he was in constant communication with his teammates on the floor.
It would sound like KG’s spewing trash, but in reality, he was informing his teammates on the opposing team’s offense, whether he has help coming on defense, any ball screens, rebounding schemes, and much more. An opposing player would not think twice about comprehending what KG was saying and most likely let it get to his head. However, Shumpert managed to break down Garnett’s antics on the court and the hidden aim behind it.
What went through Kevin Garnett’s head?
As it has been mentioned above, Kevin Garnett was one of the best trash-talkers to ever play in the league. This man deserves to be in the trash-talking Hall of Fame if there ever was one. But apart from his trash-talking, Garnett was one of the best power forwards to grace the game.
Staying quiet and humble was never Garnett’s way of approaching the game. Instead, it was quite the opposite, by getting into their personal space, and constantly getting into his opponent’s faces. KG had once revealed his mindset while playing and had some explanations,
“When you saw me bang my head on the back of the goal before the games, it was just about preparation. You ever see ‘Bones’ Jones fight? Before Jones fights, he does this weird thing where he goes(Garnett slaps his chest several times), that’s muscle activation.”
KG gave his 100% every time he stepped onto the floor. Even if his night didn’t translate into a high-scoring game, his energy and relentlessness used to rub off on his teammates, something they have always appreciated.
