Often great athletes are compared to someone who has already achieved big in the same field. While in the NBA, most of the narrative revolves around Michael Jordan, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett backs himself for this one title. When it comes to being a pure hooper, Garnett believes that there is no competition, and he is willing to go against everyone to bet on himself.
Advertisement
On an episode of KG Certified, the Celtics legend was asked who is the greatest pure hooper of all time if all the individual and team trophies are not considered. Without wasting a breath, KG said,
“I’m betting on me. What you mean? I can’t give that to somebody else.”
The NBA veteran said that when it comes to trusting someone’s pure skills and abilities to play the game, he will never look at another player in the game’s history. Since this is a unique challenge, KG said that he is prepared for whatever might be thrown at him to prove his mettle.
Believing that you’re the best hooper is a fair assessment coming from any great player, and for someone like KG who was known for being the most versatile player on the court, it’s not a surprise that he picks himself. Many might have named LeBron James or Michael Jordan as the best hoopers, but KG has the confidence that he is one of the best with the ball in his hand.
KG added that a challenge like this is right up his alley and even he would be interested to know where he would stand when pitted against some of the greats of the game.
Kevin Garnett’s illustrious career
‘The Big Ticket’ was drafted in the NBA by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1995 as a first-round, fifth overall pick. KG’s next switch came in 2007 when he moved to Boston and got his first and only championship-winning experience in 2008. In a career spanning 21 seasons, KG scored 26,071 points, averaging 17.8 points per game and had 14,662 rebounds, averaging 10 per game, per ESPN.
He was the league’s MVP in 2004, made an impressive 15 All-Star appearances in his career, and was named the All-Star game MVP in 2003.
From 2004 to 2007, KG was the NBA rebounding champion four consecutive times and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. He was also a part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, and had his no. 5 jersey retired by the Boston Celtics. With a resume as impressive as this, KG’s claim of being the best pure hooper in the history of the game is just undeniable.
