Kevin Garnett Falls for Fake 1309/1309 Shaun Livingston Midrange Stat As He Shows Love to the Former Warrior

Shaun Livingston was a vital offensive cog playing behind Stephen Curry in the Golden State Warriors’ NBA title run in 2015. The former floor general was known for his elite mid-range jumpers, a shot he was able to trademark for himself as a 6-foot-7 point guard. The 39-year-old had one of the best middies in the game, utilizing his superior size to create space over smaller defenders. But he still wasn’t perfect like a recent fake stat claimed.

Livingston’s reputation from mid-range has been so spotless that Kevin Garnett actually believed that the former Warriors guard never missed a mid-range shot. KG shared on his Instagram stories a parody post claiming that the 14-year veteran went a perfect 1309 for 1309 on mid-range attempts in his career, an impossible feat for even the greatest NBA players.

The Big Ticket didn’t fact check the impossible stat before sharing it, which led to the setback.

Livingston rarely operated outside the arc, which is another reason his heavy diet of mid-range jumpers is viewed under such a microscope. However, this was a clear exaggeration of his numbers. Despite his knack for knocking down clutch shots, Livingston was nothing more than an above-average mid-range marksman for his career, sitting around the mid-40 percent range in most shooting zones.

During his final season in 2018-19, specifically, Livingston’s efficiency took a dip, as the veteran hit just 28 out of his 67 mid-range attempts, or 41.7%.

Rather than laughing at the post’s inflated statistics, Garnett heaped praise on his former running mate’s seemingly flawless performance. KG and Livingston spent just one season together with the Brooklyn Nets in 2013-14, but it seems the duo were close-knit during their short tenure together.

These deceptive posts spreading false information are nothing new in NBA circles, especially when the topic of Livingston’s deadly 15-foot jumper comes up. Fans have long amplified the Illinois native’s efficiency, claiming that he “never missed” from the area during his playing days. Those dialogues have led to memes like these.

Garnett may have fallen for the fabrication, but the stories of Livingston’s mid-range heroics are true. And KG isn’t the only one to laud his abilities from that zone.

Stephen Curry shared how Livingston cooked him during team practice

The reigning back-to-back MVP at the time, Steph Curry, was vocal about Livingston’s unstoppable in-between game when the two were teammates with the Warriors.

“Sometimes there’s really nothing you can do about it,” Curry said of trying to stop Livingston.

“You try to just contest his shot, but sometimes he won’t even see you., Curry shared following Game 1 of the 2016 NBA Finals, “I’ll play the best defense of my life, and he’ll knock down a shot, and you’ve just got to live with the chatter. So, it’s not fun.”

Curry’s testimony is proof of Livingston’s dominance from inside the arc, even if he didn’t hit all 1309 of his mid-range jumpers.