Any casual NBA can tell you that Kevin Garnett is not one of the most well-liked players in the league. His teammates love him, Celtics fans love him, and a few Timberwolves fans might still feel a connection to him. Otherwise, most of what we hear about The Big Ticket as a person is negative.
On the court, he and Tim Duncan have always been compared. Duncan and K.G. are the two most dominant power forwards of the current era. Duncan has averaged 20.3 points and 11.3 rebounds throughout his career, while Garnett has averaged 19.3 and 10.6.
Duncan gives off the nice guy vibe, whereas Garnett is often called one of the dirtiest players in the NBA. In a recent profile of Duncan that is a must-read for all Timmy fans, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Ballard touched on the feelings Duncan has toward K.G. As you might expect, they aren’t great.
In fact, Duncan hates Kevin Garnett. Hates him the way liberals hate Sean Hannity. This information comes from very reliable sources, who talk about how KG has made a career of trying to punk Duncan, baiting him and slapping him and whispering really weird smack into his ear. They talk about how funny this is, because the worst thing you can do as an opponent is piss off Duncan. Then, as Malik Rose says, “he f—— destroys you.” Duncan’s lifetime numbers versus Garnett’s teams, by the way: 19.4 points per game, 11.6 boards and a 44–17 record, including the postseason.
Duncan is diplomatic about the topic. Asked if perhaps all those years battling Garnett have softened his feelings for the man, led to a Magic-Larry type of kinship, Duncan leans back on the couch in his hotel room and grins. There is a pause. A longer pause. Finally he says, “Define kinship.“
I’m sure Duncan respects Garnett as a player and can appreciate everything he has accomplished, but his reported opinion is one that is shared by many current and former players around the league. K.G. acts like a jerk and he does it on purpose. Given his resume, it would be tough to argue that it hasn’t worked well for him throughout his 17-year, Hall of Fame career.
Thanks to I Am a GM for passing the story along
