Kevin Garnett never talked trash to Steven Adams because of one genius move

Steven Adams. Photo / Andrew Warner.

Recently-retired NBA legend Kevin Garnett was a savage on the basketball court.

Last year his former Boston Celtics teammate Paul Pierce recalled the time Garnett played against long-haired Bulls centre Joakim Noah for the first time.

"He asked Noah if he could rub through his hair, like a female or something," Pierce told The Bleacher Report.

"And I know that kind of made (Noah) hot. And this was when Noah was a rookie, too. I remember Noah looked up to KG. He was like, 'Man, KG, I had your poster on my wall, I looked up to you, man.' And then (Garnett) just said something like that, and was like 'F*** you, Noah.' I was like, 'Whoa.' This kid fresh out of college, looks up to KG, just said he had his poster on the wall, and he tells him that! It crushed him. It crushed Noah."

That's just one story that has been retold in recent days as the NBA celebrates the 21-year career of the 2008 NBA champion.

Steven Adams reflecting on Kevin Garnett's retirement. Said he pulled the "no English" card when KG tried to talk to him: pic.twitter.com/uUVgisG4vb

— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) September 25, 2016

Oklahoma City Thunder centre Steven Adams is another who witnessed Garnett in his trash-talking prime. Last year he described how Garnett had tortured his former Thunder teammate Serge Ibaka.

"KG and Perk (Kendall Perkins), those two are ridiculous," Adams said. "They make you question, like, why you are playing basketball and stuff. You're like 'why am I doing this?' It's really weird, you get depressed ... (Garnett) was talking to Serge once and I was like 'Woah, that's some stuff.' I cannot repeat it."

In the same interview Adams revealed Garnett never targeted him. Today we found out why.

The New Zealander was asked about his memories of playing against Garnett at a Thunder press conference and described the genius move he made when the Celtics and Timberwolves legend first talked trash to him.

"He doesn't talk to me at all (because) I played the English card," Adams said. "He said something and I said 'No English, mate, sorry'."

Given Adams is an international player and has a somewhat unusual look - he wears his hair pulled back in a ponytail and rocks a serious moustache - you can understand why Garnett may have been fooled. Well played, sir.

Two of our other favourite Kevin Garnett stories from his time in the NBA:

Cavs coach and former NBA guard Tyronn Lue (to Bleacher Report): "A lot of people do all their howling on the court and they're faking just for attention, but what he does is genuine. So one day we were at his house and we were watching Puff Daddy's show Making the Band and in one of the scenes, some new guys came in and were trying to sing and were trying to compete against the guys who had been there. And KG just got so hyped: "Motherf*****, you've got to stand up for yours! You've got to fight! Motherf*****, you've got to come together!" He's going crazy, he's sweaty. And he just head-butts the wall and put a hole in the wall of his house."

Pierce (to Bleacher Report): "We were both on losing teams at this point. This is probably around the last week of the season. We're talking (trash) at the free throw line. I'm like, 'Man, everybody needs to shut up, because we all going to the Bahamas next week.' And as intense as he was, he had to look up and just start laughing. I said, 'I'm going to Cancun. Where are you going, Ticket?' He said, 'I'm going to St. Lucia.'"