Talking trash and mowing down rivals was what Kevin Garnett produced on a nightly basis. Even though it was never in a WWE ring, his skills are still apt for the squared circle. While KG was putting everyone on notice in the NBA, Brock Lesnar also had the state of Minnesota in a chokehold with his amateur wrestling skills.

Lesnar recently appeared on Barstool Sports’ Spittin’ Chiclets and recalled the massive popularity he had gained, which coincided with the early Kevin Garnett domination in the NBA.

“So when I won my NCAA title, the WWE approached me because I lived in Minneapolis. I had a big media following there. Back when I was in college, I was the big man on campus. It was me and Kevin Garnett running Minneapolis. Yeah, like they turned me into this unbeatable monster, and I was doing all the radio stuff back then and going down and getting free steaks whenever I wanted, and everywhere I went there was a pat on the back. So it was cool.”

The two never crossed paths, but made headlines in their respective sports. Before dominating the WWE and UFC, Lesnar won the NCAA Heavyweight Championship in 2000. He did it while attending the University of Minnesota Gophers, so The Beast Incarnate carried a massive following before he signed his first contract with WWE.

Brock Lesnar began his collegiate career at Bismarck State College, where in 1997, he stood fifth in his first year and won the National Junior College Athletic Association in the 275-pound category in his second. Then, a wrestling scholarship offer meant Lesnar transferred to the University of Minnesota and finished runner up before securing the NCAA championship. The 4-year career came to a close with a record of 106–5 overall.

While he was dominating the collegiate scenes, Kevin Garnett had skipped his college career and gone straight to the NBA. The Timberwolves showed faith in the high school graduate and picked him #5 overall in the draft. By the time Lesnar arrived in Minneapolis, KG had already signed a massive six-year $126 million contract and had already racked up All-Star selections.

Garnett would also Wolves to their first winning record in franchise history. Naturally, even without social media, the papers and local media would have spoken about KG’s rising star power and Lesnar’s domination.

Even though Garnett never stepped across WWE, unlike Dennis Rodman, who was recently inducted into the 2026 WWE Hall of Fame Class. KG was never shy to showcase his physical strength, even with his teammates.

Kevin Garnett beat a nearly 300-pound teammate

KG’s competitive streak extends way beyond the court. In 2010, it was not limited to the locker room but extended on a plane trip. Teammate Glen “Big Baby” Davis easily defeated all of his Celtics teammates in an arm wrestling contest. The only person left was Kevin Garnett, and they were locked in at 35,000 feet above the ground.

Naturally, everyone gathered around, and the then-head coach recalled the situation. “I thought someone was going to get hurt,” said Doc Rivers. “The whole team was in the back of the plane, and I thought Kevin was going to get hurt. ‘Big Baby’ is huge, and he weighs a hundred more pounds than Kevin. It was the most amazing display of will power and mind power. Kevin made Baby give in. Kevin was just staring at him, saying, ‘I’m not moving. You’re not going to move me.’ Then bam, Kevin won.”

According to Paul Pierce, teammate and who also witnessed the battle live was the only one to put his money of Kevin Garnett. He stated that the contest was deadlocked for five minutes before Kevin Garnett won. It became another story about KG’s willpower and physical domination.