Michael Jordan, Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry all have one thing in common – they’ve faced Kevin Garnett in the NBA.
Advertisement
The Big Ticket was one of the most ferocious, awe-inspiring NBA players of all time. His legendary intensity would manifest both through his play as well as through his words.
Kevin Garnett would run his mouth ragged against the best players of his day, making the mental battle his very own battleground. And he’d often emerge victorious because of this zing – this edge that he carried.
The bite in his words is far from reduced during his retired life. If anything, Kevin is likelier to call a player out today than he was as an active player. At the same time, he’s also played a mentor’s role, watching and admiring the cream of the league from afar.
Kevin Garnett compares Stephen Curry to Michael Jordan while citing his impact on Andrew Wiggins
Game recognizes game is an adage as old as the concept of games and sports itself. Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent recognizes genius. And Kevin Garnett definitely recognizes the genius of one Stephen Curry.
Garnett has been critical and demanding of Andrew Wiggins in the past. As the #1 pick from his draft class, Wiggins set some barely believable physical performance records when tested at P3. Many even compared the Canadian’s athleticism to His Airness – Michael Jordan.
Those comparisons seem far off now as Andrew Wiggins has gone from a big piece on a middling team to a middling piece on a league-leading team. However, he’s having by far the best season of his career with the Warriors right now.
There seems to be a clearly defined role for the 26-year-old, and he performs it to the T. Kevin Garnett also believes that the work ethic of perhaps the greatest offensive weapon of the 21st century has rubbed off:
“He’s playing with the Michael Jordan of his era. The knowledge that he takes not just from Steve Kerr and that coaching staff but that pedigree of excellence that they push around there in Golden State — you can’t come in there and be less than.”
“Those are champions in there. Those guys have won together. They’ve been in the grit. They’ve been in the foxhole together. I think it motivates him.”
