Almost every teammate Kevin Garnett has had would speak highly of the Hall of Famer. The tenacious forward could anchor a defense or be the first option on offense, making him easy to plug into any roster. Not only could Garnett’s former teammate, Stephon Marbury, talk endlessly about how seamless playing alongside the forward was, but even the two-time All-Star’s mother couldn’t help but enjoy watching her son play alongside the superstar.
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During an appearance on The Big Podcast with Shaq, Marbury reminisced about playing alongside the forward during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He told host Shaquille O’Neal that even his mother, Mabel Marbury, noticed how well he was playing alongside the 15-time All-Star, saying,
“I would just go with what my mom used to say. She said, ‘Stephon, ain’t nobody—You and Kevin (Garnett) had the best chemistry. Nobody you had better chemistry than you guys on the basketball court.’”
Marbury and Garnett spent two full seasons together as teammates, leading the Timberwolves to two straight playoff appearances. Their blossoming partnership was shortlived, as the guard left the franchise after only a couple of campaigns. However, during his time there, the duo had a telepathic connection on the floor. Marbury explained,
“He knew what I wanted to do and I knew what he wanted to do. He knew when to throw me the basketball and I knew when to throw him the basketball. I knew when he wanted to go. He knew when I was going.”
The guard described his partnership with Garnett as one of the best he’s had during his career. While he reminisces about his time with the forward, the latter still harbors resentment about his unceremonious departure from the Timberwolves.
Kevin Garnett resents Stephon Marbury for leaving the Timberwolves
Before the 1996-97 NBA season, the Timberwolves failed to make the playoffs even once since entering the league in 1989. However, their dry spell ended when the franchise added Stephon Marbury to the roster with the fourth overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft. The guard, alongside sophomore star Kevin Garnett, led the Timberwolves to back-to-back playoff appearances in their first two seasons as a duo.
While they failed to advance beyond the first round, Minnesota’s future was seemingly bright. However, before the lockdown-shortened 1999 season, Marbury requested a trade sending shockwaves across the league. The team adhered to his wishes and traded him to the Nets for two players and draft compensation.
During an appearance on the 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast, the guard claimed that the challenges of living in Minnesota prompted him to demand an exit. As valid as his reason may or may not be, Garnett is still upset about him quitting on the Timberwolves. During an interview with Andscape, he said,
“Steph is going to forever have to live in that. He f**ked up all our championship dreams… It’s just so unfortunate that we didn’t align with the same vision and the same goal. So, yeah, I don’t even talk about that s**t because it ain’t really nothing to talk about. It was out of my control. Nothing I could do about it.”
Garnett would go on to win a championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008, while Marbury failed to live up to expectations and finished his career with only two All-Star nods.
The two briefly united in Boston in 2009, the guard’s last stop in the NBA before embarking on an intriguing nine-year career in China. However, the forward will seemingly never let go of the grudge he holds against Marbury for leaving Minnesota.
