Kevin Garnett was one of the few players to get drafted into the NBA straight out of high school. Being selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves with their 5th pick in the 1995 Draft, Garnett initially had quite a cheerful personality. However, fast-forwarding just a few years into his professional career, KG became one of the most controversial characters in the league. Now, eight years after he lost $109,091 for headbutting LeBron James’ former teammate, Dwight Howard, Garnett talks about how the NBA created him into a villain after he signed the largest contract in league history at the time.
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Kevin Garnett was one of the most shrewd players in the league. Apart from being a ruthless trash talker, the Big Ticket would often get into physical altercations. Over the course of his 21-year career, KG was slapped with several hefty fines due to his on-court behavioral issues. However, one of the costliest quarrels of his career occurred during the 2014-2015 season. During a matchup between the Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets, the 6-foot-11 big man got into a tussle with Dwight Howard. Losing his cool, the Nets veteran headbutted Howard. As a result, the NBA decided to suspend the 2004 Most Valuable Player for a game and punish him with a $109,091 fine.
Kevin Garnett believes the NBA creates villains for financial gain
Kevin Garnett is one of the more candid people in the basketball world. The Hall-Of-Famer doesn’t mince his words. In fact, as brutal as it may sound, Garnett speaks his mind without giving it much thought at all. In an episode from his KG: Certified podcast, the 15-time All-Star explained how the league created villains as a method to earn money.
According to the Wolves legend, the NBA creates these villains once they sign massive contracts. Then, they shamelessly punish them with technical fouls to add controversy and draw as much money from the situation as possible. Here is what Garnett said.
“When you do get that bread, how they change you into a villain. Y’all remember my first three years? I was all high school, bubble gum. Now I’m the villain. I’m out here fouling ni**as, flagrant. I’m leading the league in f**king techs,” Garnett said.
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Entering the league as a teenager, KG was nothing more than jolly and light-hearted. It wasn’t until after he signed his bumper $126,000,000, six-year contract that he was depicted as the villain. It must be noted that this contract was the largest in NBA history at the time, and made him a natural target of distaste and jealousy from players and fans alike.
The likes of Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks could be classified as the modern-day villains. However, if Garnett’s theory is true, they could be nothing more than victims of the NBA’s biggest conspiracy.
Garnett once trash-talked a 9-year-old
As nice as Kevin Garnett can be at times, he still remains one of the most competitive athletes to grace the hardwood. We’ve heard in multiple stories how hard Garnett would be on his opponents and even his own teammates. However, Karl-Anthony Towns once revealed that KG didn’t even spare a nine-year-old from his trash talk.
During Paul George’s Podcast P appearance, KAT narrated a tale from the time when Garnett was chirping at a kid in the Call of Duty lobby. Clearly, no one is safe from the wrath of Kevin Garnett.
