Kevin Garnett played himself in the film Uncut Gems, the acclaimed 2019 release by the Safdie brothers that saw the future Hall of Fame inductee receive praise for his role. The gist of the movie is that Adam Sandler’s character, an all-time degenerate gambler named Howard, runs a jewelry shop. Garnett comes in, he is shown a rare black opal, and once he decides that the opal plays a role in his success on the basketball court in the 2012 Eastern Conference Semifinals against Philadelphia, KG tries to win it at auction.
The entire movie rocks and you should see it immediately, if only for meme literacy purposes and Mike Francesa’s cameo. But beyond that, there’s an upcoming fundraiser tied to the film — and a host of other movies in the A24 universe — that puts Garnett’s jersey on the auction block.
While other auctions are currently ongoing, the Uncut Gems auction begins at noon on May 4. According to Variety, the Garnett jersey from the movie will be available, with proceeds benefitting the Queens Community House in New York. Unfortunately, while the opal is not available for auction, other items like the jewel-encrusted Furby from the movie are available.
Garnett was not the first choice for the role — the film was in development for years, and names like Amar’e Stoudemire, Kobe Bryant, and Joel Embiid were linked to it for some time — but he ended up earning widespread praise for his performance.
