When an NBA legend like Kevin Garnett offers his advice, you listen.
The Boston Celtics icon went on his show, “KG Certified,” and called out Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis over comments he made on June 11 where he stated he had not touched a basketball since April 5.
“I’m talking to AD right now, bro, get lost — go to Hawaii somewhere, straight up and down,” Garnett said Friday. “When you come into camp, come into camp in better shape than everybody and anybody, that’s what you should be focused on. You should go for the MVP for the 2022-23 season. All Celtics fans gonna hate me for saying that, but I’m your O.G., and that’s what I think. I’m still Celtics for life, still C’s for life, still (Minnesota Timberwolves) for life, still (Brooklyn Nets) for life, but that’s my O.G. advice for AD.
“If he’s not doing that — it’s his turn to carry the torch. (LeBron James) and I carried the (expletive) for a whole decade and then some. It’s the only reason he came to LA. AD came to the Lakers to become an MVP and to take the torch from (James) and carry him. What he said killed me bro. He said he ain’t touch the rock? Don’t do that. Go in the lab and get your (expletive) right. There’s no way he’s probably not top 10, top five in this game. Come on, man.”
Since signing his five-year, $189.9 million contract extension with the Lakers on Dec. 2, 2020, Davis has dealt with various injuries that have kept him out of multiple games for Los Angeles. The All-NBA forward has only played in 76 regular season games in the past two seasons.
Davis currently has 60-to-1 odds to win NBA MVP, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Those odds are tied with Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. They are also worse than Jayson Tatum’s 12-to-1 odds.
Whether Davis takes Garnett’s advice full heartedly and tries to win the regular-season MVP award or not will ultimately depend on his health and if he can play more than the 40 games he played in the 2021-22 regular season.
