Open Thread: Tim Duncan and the art of the trash talking big man

Kevin Garnett shared how Big Fun could get in his head

Earlier this week, Sport Illustrated posted an article about how New Zealand big man Steven Adams revealed avoided trash talk from Kevin Garnett by simply pretending not to speak English.

Garnett, a notorious trash talker, was apparently hyped up by Kendrick Perkins. When Adams subbed Big Perk out, KG continued his tirade.

Adams, a rookie at the time, simply said, “Oh bro, no English bro” which left Garnett without a strategy for verbally frustrating the Kiwi.

“He didn’t say anything after that, thank goodness. He would’ve ruined me. I would’ve cried,” Adams added.

Garnett responded via X,

The piece reminded me of the tales involving Tim Duncan and his trash talk, or lack thereof.

In fact, Nick Smith made a montage of some of the best trash talkers responding to Duncan. From Garnett to DeMarcus Cousins to Draymond Green, the best in the business could not rile up Big Fun. In fact, they usually walked away frustrated themselves.

The freeze frame of Duncan smiling at Boogie warms my heart.

Duncan’s demeanor meant a lot to many different players.

Robert Swift, whose NBA was cut short by injury, recalls how Duncan talked him through covering him the first time they played one another. In a 2016 article from Sport Illustrated, Swift shared,

The first time he guards Tim Duncan, Swift pushes up on him on the block, trying to impress him.
“Nah, nah, don’t do that,” Duncan says.
Swift is surprised. Duncan never talks to opponents. And yet…
“The ball’s going to swing to the other side, get position,” Duncan continues.
The ball swings. Swift follows orders, shuffling his feet across the lane, staying behind Duncan.
“No, further up,” Duncan says. Swift takes a half-step.
“No, a little higher, don’t let me duck in on you.”
Swift complies.
“All right, now come back,” Duncan says, moving across the lane. “The ball’s about to be swung back, but it’s not coming to me this time so don’t worry about it. But now you know how to play it.”
With that, Duncan plays hard the rest of the game, but the moment sticks with Swift.

With his career longevity and the level of talent that he played against, it is significant that Duncan stands out for not only restraining from trash talk, but baffling those who excelled at it.

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