Kevin Garnett has a reputation as a villain on the basketball court, at least to those wearing the uniform of the team he's going up against that particular night. While he's sometimes been criticized for taking things too far, It's understandable to a point, because in the heat of the game, it's not exactly to your advantage to play well with others.But what about off the court?
When there's no game, the cameras aren't rolling, and no one else is around, that's when a person's true self is exposed, good or bad. And this little story about how Garnett treated a couple of the Pacers' rookies over the summer shows that his off-the-court persona might be just as rough as the one we're accustomed to seeing on it.
Garnett wasn't exactly welcoming to Pacers rookies A.J. Price and Tyler Hansbrough when he visited Indianapolis this summer to film a Wheaties commercial. As Garnett exited Conseco Fieldhouse, Indiana assistant coach Lester Conner asked him to walk over and meet Price and Hansbrough, who were working out. Garnett wasn't exactly friendly. According to Conner, Garnett continued to walk out and remarked, "[Expletive] your rookies."Nice.
Now, Price laughed off the mini-incident, basically saying it showed where he was in the league's hierarchy, and moved on. But as one of the league's most recognizable veterans, shouldn't Garnett act like more of an ambassador for the game and less like a [jerk] in these situations?
He probably should, but clearly, he's under no obligation to do so.
There's of course the possibility that KG was simply having a bad day, or that his knee was bothering him, or whatever. But from what we've seen of him publicly over the years, the odds are pretty strong that the person that the Pacers' rooks encountered that summer day in Indianapolis was indeed the real Kevin Garnett.
[via FanIQ]
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
No suprise there, Garnett is a tasteless, uneducated scumbag, this guy deserves to be the miserable thug he is. I bet he treats his family like crap too.
Pollakoff is way off base to draw conclusions that KG's work persona is indicative of the type of person he is in the "real world". It just doesn't work that way. KG is known as a kind and gentle man in the community. He's charitable, good with kids, and frequently visits sick kids in the hospital. On the flip-side, there are some real "nice guys" in the NBA who are borderline criminals in the community. As they say: "Don't judge a book by it's cover".
I can't wait for Garnett to try that stuff with DeJuan Blair when the Thugtics play the Spurs. Blair will rip his arm off. Classless act that KG and wouldn't call him an ambassador for the game. He's an ambassador only for himself.
Hardly surprising..
The coach should have asked his two rookies to come over to meet Kevin. He a veteran, one of the 10 best players in the NBA and a future hall of famer. What had the rookies done? They had not play a professional game yet. He like an Officer in the military, new enlisties salute all Officers. Major "M"
You are right. Lester Connor was out of line and showed disrespect. I don't care if it's Kobe, LeBron or KG. You can't expect these guys to respond to all the thoughtless requests like this that are made of them. These rookies were too busy "working out", so you want KG to stop what he's doing so that he can walk over to THEM so that THEY can meet him? I'd tell the coach to get lost.
Yeah...Kevin will always be that way....
he is a total jerk...anybody who thinks he
is great must be 2 cans short of a six-pack!
And you must be one sandwich short of a picnic cause KG is the man!!! He shows up every night.
The celtics STINK!
This is a news story? Pollakoff is digging deep in the bottom of the barrel for this one!
KG is the man. I agree fudge yo rookies. They need that so when they play Boston they understand it's war. The only thing that is important is winning and KG understands that. Nothing personal but fudge'em!
Go Celtics! Don't hate on your future champs!
You mean..."Future chumps"
Love it. KG is intense and all you haters can eat it.
I'm eating it alright...it's delicious!!!
Your celtics are chumps!!!
Between KG and Pau Gasol ???
in every which way Gasol will
beat him up in more ways then
one, this rivalry goes way back
when Gasol won the ROY and the
beat goes on.
Aww you haters are cute! KG is the best! Go Celtics!