Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett has earned a reputation as one of the NBA’s most notorious trash-talkers. Known for his fiery demeanor, Garnett once allegedly taunted Tim Duncan by saying, “Happy Mother’s Day, Motherf****.” However, one former Washington Wizards star managed to get under the skin of the 15× NBA All-Star. And recently, Garnett revealed the story of how it unfolded.
When asked who repeatedly trash-talked him, Garnett’s immediate response was, “Dray Blatche.” The NBA champion’s former Celtics teammate Paul Pierce, also present in the video, supported his claim, saying, “Oh yeah, he did do that to you.”
Garnett disclosed that he didn’t know how much Blatche was “gassed” to trash-talk against him until they recently hung out. He further recounted that before Blatche moved from the Wizards to Brooklyn Nets, he constantly trash-talked him throughout their games. “Yeah, he used to stay talking sh**. He stayed talking sh*t,” Garnett recalled, adding that he loved playing against guys like Blatche because they kept him motivated.
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As Garnett continued, the conversation took a hilarious turn when he started mimicking Blatche’s reaction during their encounters. Garnett mocked him during the games by saying: “man, who is this?” And then hilariously imitating Blatche’s defiant response, “Man, you know who I am, I don’t give a f***!” Garnett continued.
Despite Garnett’s relentless mocking, Blatche never backed down. However, one particular moment of their trash-talk resulted in a rather different reaction from Blatche.
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Once Kevin Garnett left Andray Blatche almost in tears
As per SLAM reports, Flip Saunders recounted an incident between Kevin Garnett and Andray Blatche, where he advised Blatche to avoid engaging Garnett in trash talk, explicitly asking him to avoid KG. However, during a crucial fourth quarter, Blatche couldn’t resist and started trash-talking Garnett. This exchange shifted the game in the Celtics’ favor. “Dray is wolfing the whole time at Kevin Garnett. You can’t do those kinds of things,” Saunders noted.
Saunders further explained the risk Blatche took by provoking Garnett. According to him, Blatche was a young player trying to establish himself in the league and it was not deemed wise to antagonize a player of Garnett’s caliber, who had just won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
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Blatche was noticeably upset and appeared on the verge of tears as he recounted his heated encounter with Garnett. The tension escalated when Garnett approached Blatche, attempting to wrestle the ball away, which nearly resulted in a physical altercation on the court. In a dramatic turn, Blatche threw an elbow at Garnett, who continued to taunt him. Furthermore, the conflict picked up the fire when Blatche dumped Garnett into a cameraman, resulting in a foul that sent Garnett to the free-throw line which left Garnett with a smile.
Though after years, Blatche and Garnett have made their peace with each other. But, the fact that Garnett once left his opponent in tears is a testament to the fact that he is arguably a great trash-talker in the NBA.