Accused of Busting Kendrick Perkins’ A**, Kevin Garnett Reveals Hilarious Reason Behind Locking Horns

Perkins was undoubtedly known to be one of the bigger admirers of Kevin Garnett. Paul Pierce even attested, saying, “man you don’t even know how much he look up to you,” to Garnett. But as fate would have it, the two turned out to be notable rivals. Even then, while Perkin was reportedly over the moon when the Boston Celtics acquired Garnett in 2007, their personalities crashed right from day one.

Appearing on the Knuckle Heads Podcast, Kendrick Perkins was asked who busted his a** first when he joined the league. “It is him, it is him,” Perkins exclaimed, pointing at Garnett present alongside him on the show. “So look, I’m just getting in the rotation Me and Ticket (Garnett) start bumping heads from day one,” that’s how Perkins shared his first encounter with The Big Ticket.

Garnett’s trash-talking prowess was unmatched, rattling even the toughest opponents. Perkins witnessed Garnett’s tactics firsthand, his infamous “taste-testing” move, where he licked his finger and swiped it on an opponent’s jersey, calling them “Sweet Mother******.” On the podcast, Perkins reminisces about his experience when he played against Minnesota. He shared that Garnett was “taking big sh**” about him and Garnett’s boys were on the sideline and they also did the same. It was a bizarre moment for young Perkins.

After listening to Perkin’s recollection, Garnett revealed the hilarious reason behind their dynamic. He recalls that he found Perkins among the younger class trying to ‘mark their mark’ when he arrived at Celtics as opposed to the notable names he was used to prior. Garnett says that Perkins had been after him (talking trash etc) just to gain his respect. “Perk was always like, ‘I want my respect from this mug right here’,” he said. But Garnett wasn’t going to give it to him that easily. Garnett said that whenever he played with him, he felt there was “something.” But they both never got an understanding of each other.

Ticket shared and when he first joined the Celtics back in 2007, the first thing he asked was, “Man, what’s up with the young boy? Is he cool?” Garnett felt Perkins had a grudge against him, and he’s unsure of the reason. It was like, “I hit on his girl or something” or “he got so personal on me.” However, sometimes he felt, “Nah, he just at you, he fu***** with you.” Let’s say the two reflected each other’s attitude.

Allen Iverson, another NBA great, appreciated Garnett’s unique ability to get inside his opponents’ heads. On the All The Smoke podcast, Iverson opens up on Garnett’s authenticity and relentless trash talk. Iverson admired how Garnett could be friendly before the game and then unleash a torrent of insults once the game started, leaving even seasoned players like himself bewildered. Garnett’s ability to talk trash is a reminder of his dominance on the court.

Garnett and Perkins’ fiery trash talk history

The two played together for about 3 and half seasons in Celtics, even winning a championship together in 2008. But their journey started on rocky terms. Ticket, known for his ruthless trash talk, wasted no time in targeting Perkins. During a 2003 matchup, Garnett dismissed Perkins as “trash” and a “nobody”. During an early encounter, Garnett humiliated Perkins with, “You’re trash, like, who is this? Who? Kendrick Who? Nobody.” This harsh initiation undoubtedly stung. This psychological warfare was a hallmark of Garnett’s game and a legend in the art of trash talk.

In 2007, Perkins aggressively challenged Garnett, leading to intense, physical battles on the court. “Perk wasn’t afraid of no one,” former Celtics guard Mike James revealed in an interview. Some times their clashes extended off the court.

Despite these initial tensions, Garnett later sought assurance from Paul Pierce about Perkins, discovering that Perk had always admired him. Not just that, the former star forward reciprocated the admiration by blending well with him on the court. Garnett revealed, as per SI, that the two got the better of each other and admitted that he always looked out for him. “We gelled… more than anybody else,” he iterated. And their dynamic certainly remains a warming one.

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