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"We're kind of like marked men, me and Ron [Mercer] ... I mean Ron and I. It's tough. If you're not on, they'll make you look bad. When you're No. 1 you're expected to do certain things. I think it puts pressure on you, even though you don't want to. To me, it's a motivational thing. ... Last year people were telling me I had to prove myself. To this day I still feel I have to prove myself. I'm not going out there to embarrass a dude. I just want to play my hardest. That's what I have to do. I don't have a big head -- my mom takes care of that. A lot of people let the No. 1 stuff go to their head."
- KG, corrects his own grammar as he talks about the 1994 Nike Basketball Camp in July. A year ago, in the Nike All-American Basketball Camp in Indianapolis, KG came with without much fanfare but outplayed almost everyone. This year, he is ranked number one in the country.
"Yeah, I felt like a marked player. The other players looked at me like: 'He's the best,' and they want a piece of me. That just takes away from their game. I just wanted to play ball and have fun. I had confidence I would play like the No. 1 player in the country, even though I don't really care about such ratings. I just want people to know my name. 'Hi, I'm Kevin.' I'd rather have them think: 'He's a nice guy to be around.'"
- KG, said in July 1994 during the Nike Basketball Camp in Deerfield, where he dominated the competition.
"I just like to do odd stuff. I'm just doing it because no one else is."
- KG, on wearing a green cloth napkin on his head. Sitting at a table with his new Farragut Admirals teammates, KG ate spaghetti before a game in the Back to School Shootout. He took off th napkin, wiped his mouth, and put it back on his head.
"Everybody is making me feel very comfortable. It's going to take some time for us to get used to each other, but I've never backed down from hard work or competition."
- KG, on his new team Farragut Admirals after transfering to Chicago in the summer of 1995.
"All the Illinois teams would be in the 4A class in South Carolina. The players in South Carolina seem to be taller. But the players here are better position by position. They are quicker and everybody plays with so much intensity."
- KG, on the difference between Illinois teams and South Carolina teams.
"I don't think about it now. I don't even let it get to me. Whatever happens, happens. I don't think about the NBA. That's a whole other level of maturity all together. Right now, I'm just enjoying myself. Right now the only thing I concern myself with is to make myself the best player I can be. I want to improve my skills. I don't want to get big-headed. I want to stay level-headed. I just want to win a state championship for Farragut."
- KG said in January, 1995.
"A lot of people don't know it, but you have to be a gladiator to play in Chicago. It's like a mini-NBA, and I have the scars to prove it."
- KG spoke, in 1995 (around Draft time), about his days playing ball at Farragut Academy, Il.
"What a lot of people don't realize is that when you're a high school player, you don't just play high school competition. "I've gotten a lot of experience against my elders in summer leagues."
- KG, on his experience.
"I am prepared for this great endeavor. I know I will be among the finest players in the world."
- an 18-year-old Kevin Garnett wrote in a letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern as he prepared to make the leap to the pros straight from high school
"Wherever I go, it'll be an opportunity. Millions of kids want to play pro basketball, and here I am getting the chance early. I learned one thing - never hate a positive option."
- Kevin Garnett is excited about the upcoming 1995 NBA Draft and the opportunity to live a dream
"But the one thing that bothers me is everybody thinking I just, you know, got into this without thinkin' it over. I thought about it a lot, and I think I'm ready."
- a confident Garnett discussed his decision to turn pro
"You could have 15 Mexicans chasing you, throwin' rocks, throwin' bottles. The leader of the crew, they call him Seven-Gun Marcello. I'd say, 'Marcello, man, tell'em to chill out. I'm walking my crew home.' Pretty soon, there'd be a crowd of people waitin' on me to walk [with them]."
- KG spoke to a writer about his senior year at Farragut Academy in the West side of Chicago
"[It was] total hell -- gangs, guns, crime. I had to deal with a gang leader named Seven-Gun Marcello. No fun."
- KG told Newsweek about his experience in living in the West side of Chicago
"I've never had so much money in my life, but I'm not going to do anything crazy. I want to enjoy it, but at the same time, keep it in perspective. I'm not going to go out and buy a whole bunch of stuff just to buy it. That's when you go berserk. That's when you let money control you. I control the money. I spend it. It doesn't spend me."
- KG said on October 5, 1995, three days after signing his first contract with the Timberwolves. He doesn't even own a credit card and laughs at the idea of having one. He went to the Mall of America that week and rode the roller coaster (and he didn't buy anything).
"I carry myself in a unique manner. I think I'm a really humble guy. I don't say too much. ... And I don't go out and go crazy like some people do. I try to stay to myself."
- KG, on himself.
"I'm going to be myself. Whether you think that's a kid, or a young adult, that's up to you."
- KG said on October 5, 1995.
"It was really frustrating because I knew how to do almost all the stuff we were doing. I was going by textbook, but I was doing it stiff. I wanted to relax. I couldn't understand why I was going out there, being nervous. I'm not the type to give up, because it makes me feel like I'm giving in to pressure. That was a tough point. Even though I was messing up, I just kept going. The worst thing to me is if you're messing up and you stop. ... When I step on the floor, man, I don't really look at Doug West as Doug West. I don't look at J.R. as J.R. I just play. If you get caught up in names like that, you really get overwhelmed and I don't think you play that well. Off the floor, I might feel a little different. But on the floor, you're trying to bust them just like they're trying to bust you."
- KG, looking exhausted, said after his first NBA training camp workout on Friday morning of October 6, 1995. It got so bad that at one point, while working with Doug West and J.R. Rider, KG started swearing at himself. KG, so excited, had forgotten to eat his breakfast that morning, and he blamed his lack of stamina on that.
"At times you hate it. But you've got to love it."
- KG said after six grueling workouts in three days during training camp before his rookie season officially began.
"I don't see why [people get excited about him], if they do. I'm just a regular guy. I've been trying to tell you that. I've still got a long way to go. It's a learning process."
- KG, on learning the ropes in training camp of his rookie season. The Timberwolves held their only public scrimmage at Halenbeck Hall at St. Cloud State on sunday evening, October 8, 1995. Garnett finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks. He thrilled the crowd in one particular sequence, where he blocked a shot, ran the floor, and finished with an alley-oop.
"You remember everything, man. This experience only comes once. I can tell my kids I played against him [Glen Robinson] -- a long time from now."
- KG, on his first preason game on October 14, 1995 against the Bucks. He guarded Glen Robinson at times, who hit some jumpers over him. KG went right back at Robinson, though, and finished the game with 13 points and 3 rebounds.
"It was more a thing of being strongly focused. I go out there, I don't really hear anything. I've got to stay loose. Do what got me here."
- KG said nerves wasn't a problem after playing in his first preseason game on October 14, 1995 against the Bucks.
"It's not down-and-dirty here. It's a pretty city. The people here are accepting. 'You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours.' It's not like Chicago, where it's, 'You get in my way, and I'll run you over.'"
- KG, on how he perceives Minneapolis and Chicago.
"You know, I don't do much partying. To me, a fun night is being in front of a Sega screen playing 95 different games."
- KG, all of 19 years old, on how he unwinds.
"I laugh when I see Magic, because one of these days I'm going to be one of his proteges. I'm going to be a 6-foot-11 point guard. You can write that down. I don't really classify myself at any position. I grew up playing different positions, 'one' through 'five.' If they make a 'six' position, I might play that."
- KG, on his versatility.
"I'm steppin' up my workload for these final months. That's how I operate. If it kills me, it kills me."
- a 19-year-old Garnett said about his improved play during the second-half of his rookie season. He was a starter for the final 42 games, averaging 14.0pts, 8.4reb and 2.26blk in 36.6 minutes per game, as well as shooting an excellent 53.3% from the field
"I keep hearing about all these helping hands I'm gettin'. There's no helping hand. I'm responsible for me. All this talk about other people protecting me gets tiresome."
- KG speaks out on the idea of how he supposedly had all these people tending to him in Minnesota, making sure he stayed out of trouble and was okay
"I don't drink or smoke or go out much at all. I've done all that, and it got me in trouble. I have an image to uphold. People are watching; kids are watching. I prefer stayin' home with Bug, playing CDs and Sega." - KG talked about how he stays out of trouble during his first year in Minnesota
"Sure I'd heard about this kid in New York, Mayberry. Can't shoot well, but that mother's fast." - KG on Stephon Marbury, before the two became good friends. Notice how he mispronounced "Marbury."
"Anytime you can talk to somebody on the phone without seeing their face and have the relationship we have, we didn't have to meet. He coulda been a damn thief, or a murderer, but he was good for me."
- KG talked about his friendship with Stephon Marbury. Garnett was attending high school in Mauldin, South Carolina, while Marbury was in Coney Island, New York
Marbury: "Yo, boy."
Garnett: "Who's this?"
Marbury: "It's Steph, man."
Garnett: "Mayberry...uh, Marbury?"
Marbury: "Yeah."
Garnett: "Yeah?"
Marbury: "Yeah."
Garnett: "I been reading about you...."
- Garnett and Marbury talked on the phone for the first time, when Marbury called him up.
Marbury: "Wassup."
Garnett: "Ready?"
Marbury: "Yeah I'm ready."
Garnett: "Let's go play some ball."
- KG and Stephon met face-to-face for the first time. Garnett had moved to Chicago, where Marbury was visiting. The two had made an appointment to play basketball with local players
"I don't play basketball for the money. I don't play it for the crowd. When I didn't have a friend, when I was lonely, I always knew I could grab that orange pill and go hoop. I could go and dunk on somebody. If things weren't going right, I could make a basket and feel better."
- KG spoke during the 1996-1997 season about what basketball meant to him
Garnett: "What's the difference between New York and New Jersey?"
Chris Perkins [looks around, smiling]: "Anybody want to help me out here?"
Garnett: "Where do you live?"
Chris Perkins: "I live over in New York City."
Garnett: "So what's the difference? They're only a few minutes apart; you can see all the lights from over here."
A studio crew member [who overheard]: "Where'd you go to high school?"
Garnett: "Chicago."
Studio crew member: "The difference between New York and Jersey is the difference between Chicago and Indiana."
Garnett [thinking that over, grinning]: "How about Chicago and Milwaukee?"
- Kevin Garnett at the studios of NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, New Jersey, chatting with with crew members while preparing to star in an NBA commercial. Chris Perkins is the producer-director. This was in January, 1997, when the T-Wolves were in town to play the Nets
"If you don't ask questions, you'll never learn anything."
- KG said quitely to himself at the studios of NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, New Jersey, after chatting with with crew members while preparing to star in an NBA commercial. This was in January, 1997, when the T-Wolves were in town to play the Nets
"I love my life."
- KG said at the studios of NBA Entertainment in Secaucus, New Jersey. This was in January, 1997, when the T-Wolves were in town to play the Nets
"Reporters are always tellin' me about nice things some of the older guys have said. I just tell them I don't hear a lot of compliments when they're playin' against me."
- KG said during the 1996-1997 season
"It's not that easy. I know that now. What I've found out is that it's not just accepting the money, the chance to play in the pros. It's accepting the responsibility of playin' in a man's league. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't consider myself no grown-up yet. But I found out fast, you better be ready to act like a grown-up in this league...I think it has a lot to do with being more comfortable, and I feel like I'm startin' to get respect. I think the way I've played, the way I've conducted myself, has done that. People are gettin' the message that I don't want anybody bogarting me: Don't push me around. I'm not nasty about it. But all I ever heard from the first day was 'This is a man's league, kid.' The only way you can get them to treat you like a man is to play like a man."
- now in his second year, Garnett talked about his transition from high school to the NBA, and how he had improved even more in his second season
"At this point, man, I'm not getting my hopes up. I'm enjoying my summer. I don't know what's going to happen. I learned a long time ago that people have their own personal agendas and you can't ever be upset about that. You just have to roll with whoever's out there with you. I've learned that in my little young early career, I've learned that."
- KG, on the prospect of next season (1999-2000) after being eliminated by the Spurs in Round 1 (May, 1999).
SPORT: Who would have won between the '98 Bulls and the '99 Spurs?
Duncan: I gotta bet on us.
Garnett: You gotta go that way, Tim. No other way than that.
SPORT: So you agree with him?
Garnett: I ain't gonna agree with him. I just like to compliment him and his team.
SPORT: When you two guys squared off in the playoffs, you had some words. Now you're friendly, but back then, what was it like?
Garnett: You gotta bring this up?
Duncan: We're just out there trying to win, man, everybody playing hard.
Garnett: That's exactly what it is.
Duncan: Just out there trying to win.
Garnett: Two gladiators. I didn't know he was a Taurus. Bulls collide every time. You have to honor that. You have to honor two guys tryin' to win. Everybody likes to win. There can only be one winner, so I had to bow down and take my hat off to him...for now. What was really challenging for me was knowing that Tim was bringin' his 'A' game every night, knowing I had to bring mine. We were both competing. Weren't tryin' to hurt each other, but we were really just goin' at it. It was fun. I'm an ultimate competitor. You got to love me or hate me for that, but it was clean. You know, it wasn't like I was trying to undercut him or like he was 'bowing me in my head, you know?
Duncan [Sarcastically]: "It wasn't like he was shoving me in the back of my head. No stuff like that. Wasn't anything like that going on, huh?"
[Kidd and Houston laugh]
Garnett: Oh, Lord have mercy. I'm trying to win, Tim! Y'all got us, OK? Nothing personal toward you or none of your teammates. You know, congratulations with everything. But you have to have a killer instinct. And I know you have one - every last one of us has one. And I don't know, it just comes out in different ways, you know what I'm sayin'? I was just trying to motivate my team."
Duncan: "Come on..."
Garnett: "You guys won 3-1. That's it. Next question...."
SPORT: "So Jason..."
Garnett: "Yeah, let's get outta there, man. Thank you."
- SPORT magazine interview, published in January 2002, but most likely conducted during the summer of 1999. Garnett, Tim Duncan, Allan Houston, and Jason Kidd were interviewed together
"My first year was tremendously tough. I'm someone who loves-loves-loves to be winning. I always came from the bottom up. Nothin' was ever given to me. Now I'm tryin' to get the guys on the same page."
- KG speaks about working for what he gets
"Awww man, who gets to meet legends, really? I mean, these kids stand outside just to meet players who don't even play sometimes. I get to meet legends. Isn't the NBA great?"
- KG gushes after meeting Celtic great Nate "Tiny" Archibald for the first time during the 1999-2000 season
"I could have fouled him, put him in the third row. But he did get up there, for sure. It was an excellent dunk. Even I had to laugh. I've been dunked on before, and I've dunked on guys. That's life in the NBA."
- KG, after the game against the Hornets on December 15, 1999, in which he was dunked on big time by rookie Baron Davis during the second quarter.
"If I was a Caesar salad, the croutons would be my friends, the lettuce would be my family and the dressing itself would be my mom. Because you can have the lettuce and the croutons, and it can be called a Caesar, but until you have the dressing and it actually tastes like a Caesar. ... So my mom would be the dressing. [Asked about the values his mom instilled in him] It's easy to run when the shit is bad, you know what I mean? Just think about, when you have a bad day, someday you've got to stand up to it. That's the only point I'm trying to make." NBA."
- KG talks about loyalty and how he refuses to bail out of Minnesota.
"They're really aggressive. They're like roaches on bread - you drop some on the floor and, boom, they're on it."
- KG, on Miami's defense, after the game on March 9, 2001.
"I didn't have a strong conversation with the referee. My conversation was basically very short, and I said I can't believe they called that touch foul. Maybe the referee was sensitive at that point, but this is crazy...I have never been kicked out of a game in my career -- maybe chased out of a park a couple of times. This is crazy...I'm the one who should be mad at them."
- KG said after the game against the Jazz on Sun, Apr 14, 2001. He was ejected in the third quarter after picking up his second technical. The game was on national tv (NBC). If you asked me, the referees were eggheads in that game
"I was mad. I'm not here to justify what I said. My behavior was probably inappropriate. But I felt like that was some bull. I've heard guys threaten refs, and I've had the mindset to come at the referees with respect. Sam [Mitchell] and Flip give me crap about not jumping on [them] more. That's not my character."
- KG said after the game against the Jazz on Sun, Apr 14, 2001. He was ejected in the third quarter after picking up his second technical. In a fit of rage as he left the court, Garnett flipped up a long middle finger at referee Jim Clark
"Hey, winning three games is hard, especially when you're playing one of the best teams in the league. It's a goal. It's not something that's easy. If y'all have learned anything from me, I'm not a person who jumps ship when the going gets bad. I was here when we were terrible, and I'll be here when we're great."
- KG, on playing the top-seeded Spurs in Round 1 of the 2001 Playoffs in April, 2001.
