Kevin Garnett’s competitiveness often left his rivals completely shell-shocked. However, his desire to dominate also took a toll on his teammates. On Roommates Show, Stephon Marbury narrated an incident that occurred during their time with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Garnett grabbed Marbury’s ears to hype him up before heading onto the NBA court. However, this pre-game act backfired immediately.
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KG had gripped Marbury’s ears so fiercely that he started bleeding on the spot. However, ‘Starbury’ was so caught up in the celebration that he didn’t feel anything at first. Once he calmed down, he noticed the bleeding. Marbury reflected on this painful yet hilarious incident from the late 1990s, saying,
“When he [Kevin Garnett] is going to court, he grabbed me one time and grabbed my ears and made both of my ears bleed. That’s how hard he grabbed me. But I was so hyped, I was like, ‘Yeah!’. Then after I was like, ‘Yo! I’m bleeding, dude’. But that’s him.”
This incident pointed to the close bond they shared as teammates. They had known each other since high school. While they respected each other as rivals back then, they spent a brief summer together at a camp. This helped them develop chemistry even before they became NBA teammates.
So, it was a no-brainer for the Timberwolves to draft Marbury as the fourth pick in 1996 and pair him with their franchise cornerstone, Garnett. This decision paid off instantly. The duo led the organization to its first-ever playoff berth in 1997. In the following two seasons, they continued to push the franchise into the postseason and lay the groundwork for its future success.
Just as the league was starting to take notice of their talent, Marbury suddenly wanted something different. He eventually left the Timberwolves in 1999 to join the New Jersey Jets. This move not only severed his ties with Minnesota but also with his close friend, Garnett.
What did KG say about Marbury’s departure?
During a 2015 interview with ESPN, Garnett reflected on the possible reasons behind Marbury’s abrupt departure. He suggested that his former teammate might have let his ego get the best of him. KG pointed to this as a major factor behind the end of their time together.
“I’m very real with these guys now. I tell them straight up how it is. I tell them there is only one thing that can mess this up: egos. I tell them because I lived it. Because that’s what messed us up with Steph.”
He expanded on this during his 2023 appearance on Laugh Out Loud Network’s Cold as Balls. He told the show’s co-host, Kevin Hart,
“I thought Steph and I are gonna be like forever. When Steph wanted to leave and for the reasons he wanted to leave, because he didn’t like the contract situation, and then when I spoke to him he said something different. It just made it weird.”
Fortunately, they were able to work through their differences over time. The duo even reunited with the Boston Celtics for a brief period. Now, they have become close friends again as if they were never apart.
