Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki gives an insight into his rivalry with Kevin Garnett, revealing an instance of The Big Ticket hounding him.
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Kevin Garnett came from the Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan school of work ethic and competitive zeal. Though not talked about that often, KG left everything on the hardwood. Over his 21-seasons career, Garnett gained the reputation of being one of the most fierce competitors.
The Big Ticket was equally known for his trash-talking skills on the court, having the ability to get into the minds of his opponents. Garnett didn’t even spare the zen-like Tim Duncan. Nobody was immune to KG’s trash talk, whether a rookie or veteran.
The T-Wolves MVP fed on talking smack to the big men in the league. One such instance being against Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki. At the time, the German superstar was amongst the few international superstars to rise to stardom, establishing a loyal fan base.
During a recent episode of NBA’s 75 stories featuring Garnett, Nowitzki narrated an incident when The Big Ticket stalked him on the court.
Kevin Garnett was something else: Dirk Nowitzki.
Known for having a calm demeanor, Nowitzki rarely got into altercations during his illustrious career. There were very few moments in his career that we saw the Mavs MVP lose his cool. However, Nowitzki wasn’t immune to The Big Ticket’s trash talking.
Two of the best players to play at the power forward position, Garnett and Nowitzki, had numerous meetings on the hardwood. However, Dirk prevailed over KG with a 20-17 record. Nonetheless, Garnett was the undisputed winner in talking smack.
One such incident involved Garnett stalking Dirk on the court.
“I’ll never forget there was one time we played him,” said seven-foot Mavs center. “I had just gotten up from my timeout and he (KG) had already gotten out of his timeout and he was waiting by the sideline. When we got out of the timeout, he walking with me the entire way, nose to nose, and I was thinking to myself, this guy is something else but that sums him up. We had some great battles, nothing but respect.”
A revolutionary player at the power forward position, Garnett was one of the first few bigs to establish a mid-range game. The fifteen-time All-Star dominated the floor on both ends, winning the MVP and DPOY during his career.
