Several of the individuals interviewed for Bleacher Report’s excellent and voluminous oral history of Kevin Garnett spoke about the difference between the future Hall of Famer’s fiery on-court persona and how he acts in everyday life.
But while Garnett might not spend his free time trash-talking random strangers on the street, the intensity that’s made him one of the best basketball players of the last 20 years doesn’t disappear when he leaves the gym.
Take this story relayed to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck by Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Tyronn Lue, a longtime friend of Garnett’s who also served as a Celtics assistant during the forward’s tenure in Boston:
“A lot of people do all their howling on the court and they’re faking just for attention, but what he does is genuine. So one day we were at his house and we were watching Puff Daddy’s show ‘Making the Band,’ and in one of the scenes, some new guys came in and were trying to sing and were trying to compete against the guys who had been there. And KG just got so hyped, ‘Motherf—-r, you’ve got to stand up for yours! You’ve got to fight! Motherf—-r, you’ve got to come together!’ He’s going crazy, he’s sweaty. And he just headbutts the wall and put a hole in the wall of his house.”
Yep, sounds like KG.
You can find the full oral history, which also includes anecdotes from former Celtics teammates Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, Brian Scalabrine and Glen Davis, as well as coach Doc Rivers, right here.
Thumbnail photo via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
