“Where’s the love? None at all” — Joakim Noah, going from a Kevin Garnett fan to hating him is how much KG’s trash talk could affect opponents. Often termed as one of the nastiest trash talkers in the league, there have been multiple instances of KG getting under his opponent’s skin. It’s quite obvious that a rookie of all the people would not want a piece of that trash-talking. No wonder Steven Adams used a deceiving approach best suited to save himself during his first interaction with Garnett.

Adams recalled the incident during a recent podcast appearance stating his confidence was not high, so he was trying to not get torn down by Kevin Garnett’s trash talk. He detailed how Garnett, along with his teammate, Kendrick Perkins, was mouthing off his team, OKC. Adams, a New Zealand native, towering 6’11 feet tall, recalled KG approaching him as well, “I was like, ‘Oh, bro, no English. No English, bro’… They just didn’t say anything. They would have ruined me, bro. I would have cried.”

The former Boston Celtics star re-shared the podcast clip on his official account to go with a hilarious warning. “Haaaaaa! Gonna catch his ass at LA Fitness in the old head run…” Garnett wrote in his post. Though, Adams was not wrong in assuming he would’ve cried. There have been literal instances of the 15x All-Star bringing players to tears.

One instance goes back to the time the ex-Celtics star was in a match-up against Washington Wizards’s Andray Blatche. As per a Washington Post game recap, Blatche appeared to be holding back tears when he spoke of his encounter with Garnett. The instance involved KG approaching Blatche and trying to wrestle the ball away from him.

But the trash talk on the NBA champ’s end seemed to have pushed Blatche’s buttons to the extent that he flung Garnett into a cameraman. However, the 15x All Star had a smile on face as his teammates helped him up. The Washington Post article mentions Blatche’s teammate, James Singleton, saying “Garnett used his ‘veteran senses’ to needle Blatche and get under his skin.” However, it’s not as if the former Celtics star’s trash talk never went against him.

The time Kevin Garnett trash talked Michael Jordan

His Airness’ competitiveness is no secret to any basketball enthusiast. And neither is the fact that MJ could not tolerate anyone challenging him. While everyone in the league rather quickly understood that trash talking Jordan was like inviting trouble, it seems Garnett needed a firsthand experience. The instance goes back to KG’s rookie season, as recalled by him on Club 520 Podcast.

The 15x All Star recollected having a good game against the Bulls, with his teammate Isiah Rider performing particularly good. But then Garnett did something — hyping up his teammate at Jordan’s expense. “Keep going at his a*s, he can’t guard you. Keep serving him. He can’t guard you,” the 15x All Star recalled saying it within MJ’s earshot. “We had a chance to win that game, and I woke the beast up,” he added.

Mike finished the game with 35 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead Bulls to a clear 21-point win against Wolves in the game that once seemed a close battle. But it’s clear that the only lesson Kevin Garnett took from this incident was not to trash talk MJ. Several other incidents following his rookie season will tell you how harsh the 15x All Star could be.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.