Kevin Garnett may have earned a reputation as one of the NBA’s most brutal trash-talkers during his days playing in the league, but there’s one insult that made its way around the internet that he wants fans to know he isn’t responsible for.
In January 2013 when Garnett played for the Boston Celtics, the team faced off against Anthony and the rest of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden and ended up jawing at each other and both getting technical fouls after something was said on the court between the two. After the game Anthony — surrounded by a horde of security guards — made a show of waiting for Garnett at the Celtics’ team bus.
Within days, reports began circulating that the instigating comment was made by Garnett, who told Anthony that his wife at the time, La La Anthony, “tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios,” implying that the two had had a sexual encounter.
When speaking with GQ, Garnett denied ever saying anything of the sort and joked that he’s actually “more of a Frosted Flakes man.”
“I’ve never said anything about anyone’s family,” he said in his profile interview. “I’ve never said anything to Melo about La La. I’m a Frosted Flakes man. I’m not a Honey Nut Cheerios guy. I never knew where that came from. Let me clear that up.”
Anthony previously remained mum when asked for specifics about what was said on the court between the two, but noted that they’d since handled the situation. “There’s certain things that you just don’t say to men, another man,” Anthony said. “I felt like we crossed a line. But like I said, we both had an understanding right now, we handled it the way we handled it. Nobody needs to know what was said behind closed doors, so that situation was handled.”
The rumors didn’t seem to faze La La much at the time either. The TV personality shrugged them off with a tweet, joking that “Not for nothing, but we ALL deserve a check or some free cereal 4all the publicity we’ve given Honey Nut Cheerios! LOL #cantbelieveeverything.”
Paul Pierce seemingly corroborated the fact that the remark was nothing more than hearsay during a 2018 appearance on “The Breakfast Club” telling the show’s hosts that he asked Garnett whether he made the comment in question — although the rumor about what was said didn’t come out publicly until at least a day after the game — which Garnett supposedly denied then as well.
“That was a rumor, dude. See listen. I was there that night,” the ESPN analyst said. “They got into it, then everything happened in the tunnel. And I get on the bus and sit right next to KG and I was like, ‘KG, did you say that?’ He paused for a second and was like, ‘Man you know I didn’t say that.’ “I was like, ‘How it escalate?’ I asked him, and I asked him more than once, too. I don’t know where they even got that from.” “
