Home/NBA

via Imago

via Imago

Kobe Bryant took a lot of notes from Michael Jordan’s game. Trash-talking was a part of it too. He was once titled the best trash talker in the league, but there was competition for that title too. Minnesota Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett was a natural when it came to getting into an opponent’s head. The Big Ticket wouldn’t just mock you, he would unload some crazy lines that could often disturb his opponents. A former teammate of Kobe was one of them.

In an interview on YouTube, the 44-year-old decided to choose KG over his former teammate Bryant, when it came to the best trash talker title. 2x NBA champion Lamar Odom even recalled the incident that give Garnett the edge over the Black Mamba. What was the incident that Odom faced? Let’s take a look. 

Kevin Garnett’s extreme trash-talking recalled by Lamar Odom

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

KG was a different breed during his time with the T-Wolves and the Celtics. Something that helped the 2008 NBA champion stay highly competitive in the game was his energetic presence on the court, but also the way he provoked his opponents by just talking. Nobody in the modern NBA could do it. They’d probably get ejected. Unfortunately for Lamar Odom, the early 2000s were a different time.

Watch this story: “Alperen Sengun muffling Nikola Jokic and Co. at home takes NBA world by surprise”

Odom was a rookie when he joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2000. The LA unit was a young and electric team so when Garnett faced off against them, he had to deflate the youngsters. KG had one of the most abnormal lines to disturb the young team.

Odom shared in the interview, “Oh I remember, I was playing with the Clippers…We had a really young team, real athletic team…everybody was getting dunked and all that. Kevin was like grabbing his, you know, grabbing his d***, he was like, ‘These motherf****** getting my d*** hard. They out here dunking and shit’.”

Of course, Lamar Odom had plenty of experience with intensely competitive stars. After all, his two championships came alongside Kobe Bryant. During his latter years, Bryant was on a relatively uncompetitive Lakers roster. In those times, the wrath of the Black Mamba was often felt by his teammates. Kobe once told GM Mitch Kupchak, “These m*****f*****s aren’t doing shit for me.”

via Getty

Yet, despite such experiences with Bryant, Lamar Odom simply had to give prop to Garnett’s brutal resume of in-game trash talking. Odom added, “He competes at a high level man. I can’t remember all the things he said.” 

Kevin Garnett made his opponent cry

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Leave getting into an opponent’s head, KG made his opponents cry. Former Wizards star Andray Blatche was one of them.

During a tight game in 2010 against the Boston Celtics, Blatche was torching KG and his men with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Later in the fourth quarter, Garnett decided to put an end to it. 

Read more: 2 Months After Bringing “Goliath” to the World, 47 YO Kevin Garnett Marvels at His Hero’s “Unstoppable” Tricks

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

KG got too physical with Blatche on both defense and the offense with a few elbows. Frustrated by it, Blatche fell prey as he started to foul the Big Ticket. This eventually helped the Celtics to go on a 20-4 run to seal the game. 

After the game, reports revealed, “Blatche was noticeably upset and appeared to hold back tears as he explained his encounter with Garnett.” That sums up how big of a trash-talker Kevin Garnett was.