On Sunday afternoon, in a 102-84 Chicago Bulls victory over the Brooklyn Nets, a video of Nets forward Kevin Garnett attempting to bite Bulls center Joakim Noah’s hand went viral.
But it was hardly the first issue between Garnett and Noah, who have outright said on numerous occasions that they don’t like each other, and have had numerous brush-ups in the past. Below are a few of those.
First, an elbow from Garnett hits Noah in the midsection in 2009, as explained by an NBA official:
On April 21, 2010, Noah called Garnett a “dirty player“:
“He’s a dirty player, man,” Noah said after the Bulls’ practice on Sunday afternoon. “He’s a dirty player. That’s messed up, man.”
Noah said Garnett constantly is swinging his elbows.
“I’m hurting right now because of an elbow he threw,” Noah said. “It’s unbelievable. He’s a dirty player. It’s one thing to be competitive and compete and all that, but don’t be a dirty player. He’s a dirty player.”
Garnett’s explanation after the game did not fly with the young center.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Noah said. “It’s messed up. It’s just wrong. It’s not right. And that after that say … whatever. I shouldn’t even talk about it. It’s crazy.”
In a video posted November 11, 2010, Noah said Garnett was not well-liked by the league: “Very mean guy. Where’s the love, know what I’m saying? None at all. … Ugly, too.”:
On December 3rd, 2010, Garnett said he wasn’t entertaining “nobodies” when asked about Noah. When someone followed up to ask if he considered Noah a nobody, he winked and said “next question.”
Fast forward to January 9th, 2013, when Noah said Garnett is “always on some bulls—“:
“(I was) just playing defense,” Noah said. “Just playing sound defense, just contesting his shots. He’s a helluva competitor. He’s always on some bulls—. Always on some bulls—.”
Noah was asked for clarification of what Garnett was doing that upset him.
“Just trying to throw elbows,” Noah said of Garnett. “Cheap shots, just trying to get you off your game. But he’s a vet. He’s been doing this a long time, but it’s all right.”
“He’s a dirty player, man,” Noah said at the time. “He’s a dirty player. That’s messed up, man … I’m hurting right now because of an elbow he threw. It’s unbelievable. He’s a dirty player. It’s one thing to be competitive and compete and all that, but don’t be a dirty player. He’s a dirty player.”
“He wants to win and I want to win,” Noah said. “I don’t think it will ever be cool (between us).”
Then, the two get into a brief shouting scuffle on Christmas Day 2013:
And the latest, as Kevin Garnett fake-bites Noah’s hand during a game on November 30, 2014:
Along with the bite came a headbutt from Garnett, a staple of the Garnett experience:
What’s all this teach us? Garnett and Noah are not fans of each other, and likely never will be. Sports!
