Kevin Garnett once famously told Carmelo Anthony that his wife, Lala, tasted “like honey nut cheerios.” Another noted example of the future Hall-of-Famer’s absolutely maniacal intensity is when he got on all fours and barked at Jerryd Bayless like a dog. And in a scene that Garnett and his loyal followers love to forget, the future Hall-of-Famer allegedly called Charlie Villanueva, who suffers from a rare hair-loss disease called alopecia, a “cancer patient.”
That’s the dark side of Garnett, and those events are frequently mentioned by his many detractors as evidence of competitive zeal that goes well over the line. But there’s a certain subset of NBA players and fans who know the 39-year-old as one thing first and foremost: The best teammate in basketball.
Garnett’s use for the rebuilding Minnesota Timberwolves is well-known by this point. Flip Saunders didn’t bring his favorite pupil back to Minny to win games now, but for influence Garnett would have on his young, impressionable Timberwolves brethren immediately and going forward. And if Ricky Rubio is to be believed, it seems like only a matter of time until he, Andrew Wiggins, and company grow into the competitors, leaders, and teammates that will make Garnett proud.
Here’s the Spanish point guard on KG, courtesy of rappler.com:
““He’s not that guy that it seems on the basketball court. He’s really a good guy, nice guy, and helps your teammates. He kills for you,” said Rubio, who’s about to play his fifth year in the NBA. “If you’re on the same team, he kills for you and you want that kind of teammate.”
[…]
“He’s a teacher, he spreads a lot of knowledge about basketball and he’s one of the greatest ever, so every day I spend with him in the locker room, it’s a lesson for me,” said Rubio.
See, folks? Garnett isn’t the bad sport so many of his on-court antics often make it seem. On the contrary, he’s a shining symbol of the attributes necessary for individuals to thrive in team athletics: Commitment, sacrifice, and an unceasing desire to be the best.
Might the part of Garnett that makes him a “killer” lead him astray during games on occasion? Absolutely. But you can’t have that characteristic without the others, and the Timberwolves sure seem glad that Garnett remains exactly who he’s always been throughout his storied 20-year-career.
[Via rappler.com]
