Kevin Garnett recalls some of the NBA’s best trash talkers and explains how Tim Duncan used to verbally abuse opponents.
NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett was one of the most talkative players of his era, constantly chirping at opponents and talking trash whether he was on the court or catching a breather on the bench. As such, Garnett is more than qualified to shed some light on the trash-talking ways of the NBA, including which players did it best, such as Tim Duncan. Yes, Tim Duncan.
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According to KG, Duncan’s trash talk was the most infuriating because of the subtle manner in which he would verbally abuse his opponents while methodically burying them with fundamental moves. During a recent episode of the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Garnett recalled some of the hilariously polite phrases that Timmy used to throw around while embarrassing his counterparts.
Says KG, “People would not see him verbally saying stuff because he wouldn’t talk in sentences. Timmy would hit you in phrases – ‘got you,’ ‘Oooh,’ ‘almost.’ This the worst right here, ‘nice try.’ Like subtle shit. No gangsta shit, no real hardcore shit.” Garnett also explained that it was extremely frustrating for him to talk shit to Duncan because The Big Fundamental simply didn’t give off that same energy.
In addition to his thoughts about TD’s trash talk, Garnett also recalled some stories about known trash talkers like Gary Payton and Charles Barkley. See what KG had to say about Timmy and GP in the videos embedded below.