Back in 2021, NBA legend Kevin Garnett spoke in detail about what he thought was the difference between Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Garnett, who joined the league in 1995, claimed that he saw the Chicago Bulls legend as a ‘f***ing god.’ Describing LeBron, KG claimed that James was more like his ‘little homie,’ who grew up and kept improving year after year in front of him.
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“It’s a different level of respect. Michael Jordan I looked at as f***ing God. And I thought he was my version of what basketball looked like. And with LeBron, it was more like the little homie. Here’s the little homie growing up, and man, little homie is getting better than everybody!” he said, before revealing that he had during his career said a range of questionable things to LeBron. “I definitely talked some shit to him. I’ve definitely said some crazy shit to him. He’s definitely said some crazy shit back to me.” Garnett revealed, according to GQ Sports.
The King himself also always responded, although there was an obvious level of respect between the two. LeBron during his rookie year had named Garnett when asked who he thought was the best player in the league. The then 20-year-old had even joked that he would not return for a 2nd year in the NBA if KG was not given the MVP award that was due to him.
The NBA of course, responded wisely, and Garnett went on to win what would be his only MVP award in 2004. KG obviously first came across LeBron as a youngster but has been utterly impressed with everything he has done since. MJ on the other hand, was more of an inspiration, which might be why he ended up claiming that he saw Jordan as a god.
Kevin Garnett vehemently defended LeBron James’ claim to GOAT status with Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A. Smith has often maintained that for him, it is Michael Jordan who is the obvious GOAT. KG, however, appears to have grossly changed his mind since 2021, which might be due to James’ longevity, and the level of his performances.
Garnett talked about LeBron’s recent achievement of reaching 39,000 points, claiming that he was doing things that had never been seen before. “We ain’t ever seen a n***a 38, average 30 and then got 39,000 points. We ain’t never seen that. We gotta get over this. Michael Jordan, Magic, they are the past. They did this, they did that. But, we gotta embrace this new-ish. We need to embrace this greatness that’s before us.” he said.
KG went on to talk about how the modern generation had surpassed the older one in multiple ways. He spoke about the likes of Stephen Curry and LeBron, claiming that both players were doing things that had never been done before. Smith, however, remained consistent in his approach, claiming that for him, MJ was the obvious GOAT.
While KG went on to praise Jordan as well, he said that LeBron’s recent achievements meant that it was simply disrespectful to put him at number 2. He claimed that while people can always argue about what one has over the other, the modern game had improved as a whole, which meant that the kind of things James was doing deserved a higher level of respect. Hence, while he once saw James as his “little homie,” things appear to have understandably changed in recent years.
