Kevin Garnett has the reputation of being one of the best trash-talkers that the NBA has ever seen. This was because KG wasn’t afraid to cross any lines when it came to targeting a particular player and ensuring he wins the battle of mental warfare. KG has himself admitted that he can be very aggressive while talking trash mid-game, but he never intends for it to be personal.
However, many players like to hold trash talkers accountable for everything that they say on the court even when the game is over. The oldest player in the NBA right now, Udonis Haslem is one of those guys. He has had a contract in the NBA for as long as he has had one because he is the enforcer of the Miami Heat.
Haslem objected to KG’s trash-talk and had this to say when talking about the Miami heat rivalry with the Celtics during the ‘Big Three’ era.
“Much respect to the career that Kevin Garnett had and the success that he had,” Haslem said. “But the s— that come out his mouth sometime ain’t got nothing to do with basketball and is the most disrespectful s— I ever heard in my life. For me in situations in the Boston Celtics series that got hot and heated, I needed Chris (Bosh) to step up one time and I would’ve handled the rest. But it never got to that point.”
Haslem is a genuine enforcer and these stories prove it. Nobody wanted to get personally involved in any fights with the Heat because of Haslem, something that holds true to this day.
Garnett is a basketball legend for being a champion, former MVP, former Defensive Player of the Year, and one of the greatest forwards to ever do it. But Haslem wasn’t going to bite his tongue when it comes to KG and his trash-talking prowess.
