Nastiest Trash Talker Kevin Garnett Recalls Michael Jordan Lesson That Had Him Struggling for Breath

Everyone knows it’s smart not to poke the bear, but Kevin Garnett? He went right ahead and did it anyway. Of course, this wasn’t an actual bear — it was Michael Jordan in all his competitive glory. KG was still new to the league, eager to prove himself and riding high on confidence. But in the rush of the moment, he pushed the limits with the wrong guy. What followed was a swift and unforgettable reminder of exactly who he was dealing with.

Kevin Garnett probably thought Michael Jordan was gone for good when he left for baseball in 1993. But by KG’s rookie season in 1995, MJ had returned mid-year and was just getting started again. In 1996-97, at 33 years old, Jordan averaged 29.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists over 82 games, made his 11th All-Star appearance, won his fifth NBA title, and grabbed his fifth Finals MVP. And right in the middle of all that, a 19-year-old Garnett got a masterclass he never forgot and still tells the story to this day.

On the

All The Smoke podcast, KG shared one of his favorite Michael Jordan stories that’s simply too good not to pass along. He said, “We in Chicago, you know, it’s my rookie year, second half of the year.” At that point, KG, then playing for Minnesota, was riding high with confidence, eager to show off the moves he’d been working on and fully embracing the momentum with his usual trash-talking.

“

So as we come out the timeout, just—I’m on y’all. I can’t even explain it. I was just like, yo, keep yo, keep killing that. Yo, keep killing that n—-. Bone him. So as I’m walking off, he’s right here, Mike can hear me. But I ain’t really, I don’t really give a f—-. So I’m like, so I double back. Yeah. Keep killing that,” he recalled.

Then

KG felt it that intense MJ stare. “So as I say that, I feel it. Hands on hips, legs locked, then (Jordan) looking and he stabbed me about 15 seconds. You feel it? So I start to feel it. It’s two ways you can go in this. I can walk this off like, I don’t even feel it and play it off and dummy out. F—-that. Now I’m on. Keep killing this n—-. Okay, keep it up.” Minnesota’s Isiah ‘JR’ Rider tried to cool KG down, telling him to back off, but KG wasn’t having it. MJ was watching, waiting, leaning in, and KG knew things were about to get real.

What followed was a six to seven-minute stretch Kevin Garnett calls unforgettable. He was struggling to breathe. “We get two, not one, two 10-second calls. You know, when you bring the ball up, you got two 10-second calls. We down 25 now. It was just at two. Mike had 18. He at like 40 now. JR. Myself, we ain’t scored in like bout four minutes. And I subbed like three of the starters. Like it’s just finally flip. It got bad quick… You come to the bench like this. So I was like, ‘MJ, my bad. My my bad, dog. I’m sorry, man. I’m sorry.’”

Michael Jordan just shrugged it off. “It’s cool, man. I told you. Just shut your a– up, man. You’re not f—.” Then, KG said, “So you got in between a Gatorade there where you like, “Damn.” Next thing you know, we over there like this. And Mike came down. Okay. Young fella. Okay. Okay. Damn. Young fella. Damn. Damn. Y’all y’all done? Damn. Young fell. Never talk to Mike ever again in life.”  That moment? Yeah, that’s when KG knew he’d just learned a rookie lesson the hard way.

Remembering the MJ-KG matchups over the years

Looking back at their matchups through the years, Michael Jordan and Kevin Garnett put on some memorable battles. Starting in the 1995-96 season, MJ showed why he was the GOAT, dropping 35 points with solid rebounds and assists, like on February 16, 1996, when he scored 35 points to KG’s 16 and 15 rebounds. Over the next couple of seasons, Jordan kept bringing big numbers — 33 points on December 30, 1997, and an impressive 41 points on April 3, 1998. Garnett, meanwhile, was no slouch either, often putting up strong double-doubles and showing his all-around game with rebounds, assists, and blocks.

Fast forward to the early 2000s, even as MJ came out of retirement playing for the Wizards, these two continued their fierce matchups. On January 12, 2002, Garnett scored 31 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists, while MJ matched with 35 points and 6 rebounds. The games remained intense — Garnett’s hustle stats stayed impressive with multiple rebounds and blocks, and MJ kept scoring and dishing out assists. Their battles went on through 2002 and 2003, with each game showing both players pushing each other to the limits.

Despite KG’s many great performances, MJ never forgets those moments on the court. Garnett said, “Whenever I see Jordan, he always does the same thing every time. He palms my head, and he said, ‘You remember I gave you 40 in three quarters?’ And I’m just like, ‘Man, go ahead.’ And then he has this sidekick of people around him, he’s like, ‘Hey, pull that up!’ And then a guy goes and pulls it up!”

Even after all these years, MJ’s memory for their matchups is sharp, and he loves reminding KG of those battles every time they meet.