Steven Adams pretended not to speak English to avoid Kevin Garnett

The depths of Kevin Garnett’s trash-talking abilities ran so deep during his playing days that Rockets center Steven Adams told Garnett that he didn’t speak English his first NBA season to avoid the wrath.

During Adams’ rookie season in 2013-14 with the Thunder, he faced Garnett, then with the Nets, when he first indicated to the Hall of Famer that he didn’t speak English. 

Garnett and then-Thunder big man Kendrick Perkins started mouthing off to one another, Adams, who was born in New Zealand, recalled during an interview on “The Morning Shift” this week.

That’s when Adams came in, but when Garnett went to start talking smack to him, Adams told Garnett “No English, bro.” 

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

“My confidence wasn’t high, man, so I wasn’t trying to get torn down by him,” Adams said earlier in the clip. “Because he’s the man with the s–t talking.”

While Adams may have escaped Garnett’s wrath then, the 15-time All-Star caught wind of the story and responded lightheartedly on social media. 

“Haaaaaa! Gonna catch his ass at LA Fitness in the old head run,” Garnett wrote on X on Wednesday night. 

During an appearance on “All The Smoke” in 2020, Garnett explained some of the strategies behind his trash-talking.

“I always say the trash talking you got to be able to back it up,” Garnett said. “The first thing about trash-talking is I would actually consider who was talking the trash and then if they had the ability to back it up the way I was actually going to engage somebody.”

“If the trash-talking got you to a point where you’re not talking no more that’s the worst thing you can ever do,” he added.