Steven Adams is a 13-year NBA veteran who has had a decent career in the league. While he didn’t play last season due to injuries, Adams is well-respected and feared as one of the strongest men in the NBA. Adams didn’t feel that confident as a rookie on the OKC Thunder, sharing a story of how he pretended not to speak English to avoid trash-talk from Kevin Garnett.
“My confidence wasn’t high man, so I wasn’t trying to get torn down. He’s the man when it comes to sh*t talking, he talks. He was talking to someone because Kendrick Perkins and KG played together and they started mouthing off. Then I was coming up and he was like, ‘Look at the,’ and I just said, ‘No English bruv.’ He didn’t say anything after that, thank goodness. He would’ve ruined me. I would’ve cried.”
Steven Adams told Kevin Garnett “no English” in his first matchup with him as a rookie to avoid his shit talk 😂
“He didn’t say anything after that thank goodness. He would’ve ruined me. I would’ve cried” pic.twitter.com/kl6zOKIZdB
— Steven Adams Stats (@funakistats) August 7, 2024
Garnett is one of the most ferocious trash-talkers in the NBA, with players across generations afraid to get into verbal battles with the 2004 NBA MVP. He’s ruthless with opponents, especially if they think they’re on the same level as Garnett or if they think they can trash-talk with him.
Charlie Villanueva and Carmelo Anthony can tell stories about the same, but they’ll likely choose to keep their stories with Garnett’s trash talk in the past. Adams as an 18-year-old rookie would get eviscerated by Garnett, who was still on the Celtics and competing for Playoff success.
Tim Duncan Made Sure Garnett’s Trash-Talk Was Ineffective
There are very few players in NBA history that can say Garnett’s trash-talk didn’t affect them. Tim Duncan is the prime example of the same. Not only did Duncan not engage in Garnett’s verbal games, he would respond with calm and level-headed responses to further infuriate KG, as the 2008 NBA Champion revealed.
“My secret sauce was my gamesmanship—being able to get you to listen and hear what I’m saying, get you to engage with me, and then get you to totally not think about basketball. You’d want to fight, you’d want to go in the back. The gamesmanship was a big part of me.”
“When I didn’t get a person that would engage in the gamesmanship and it was just skill on skill, man. Tim Duncan, coming back. He may go baseline fadeaway, glass, come back with a right-hand hook, come back, fake them, and you go, ‘Ah man!’ You feel me?”
“When you’re a shot blocker, man, it’s the worst. I’d rather you say something to me. Don’t tap me on the ass, dog, real sh*t. But that was Timmy. Timmy would get you and he’d be like, ‘Hey man, that was a tough shot.’ Like, man, ‘Shut the f**k up.’”
Garnett has previously discussed his respect for Duncan as a trash-talker given how smoothly he can insult his opponents without even being mean. There are levels to this, and a player like Duncan was unaffected because he knew his talent made him one of the greatest players of all time.
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