Tim Duncan has long made us believe that he was this silent assassin out on the court who used to let his game do the talking, and avoided engaging in the same type of trash talk as his peers. Kevin Garnett wants you to know that Duncan was a savage in his own right, deploying a "subtle" style of trash talk that was still effective in getting under the skin of his opponents.
In the latest episode of Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast, Garnett stopped by for a live taping during NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago where he admitted that Duncan was someone he respected who talked trash, but was also able to back it up.
"Believe it not, Tim Duncan," Garnett said at the 43:30 mark. "People would not see him verbally saying stuff because he wouldn't talk in sentences. Timmy would hit you in phrases. 'Got you.' 'Ooh.' 'Almost.' This the worst right here: 'Nice try.' Subtle shit. No gangsta shit. No real hardcore shit."
"And then what really, really, really pissed me off was when the trash talk wasn't affecting him … and that’s when I quit talking trash to Timmy because he wouldn't respond or he wouldn't give me the reaction I was looking for."
Garnett and Duncan were among the eight finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020, joining the late Kobe Bryant. The inductees will be announced in April.
Check out Garnett's All The Smoke interview in its entirety up top.
