Kevin Garnett is well-known for his intense personality and intimidating presence on the court and in the locker room.
After all, this is a man who believes that one’s long-term success in the NBA is correlated to one’s ability to be unlikable.
KG said you don't last long in "this league by just whispering or being a nice guy or a guy the ladies like. You’ve got to be an asshole."
— Rod Boone (@rodboone) November 12, 2014
So, it’s of little surprise that Garnett’s presence has already had an effect on the Timberwolves locker room since he was traded back to Minnesota at the NBA’s trade deadline.
Poor rookie Zach LaVine must have been scared out of mind to meet Garnett because he immediately offered to let Garnett have his locker. LaVine’s locker had been Garnett’s when KG was last on the Timberwolves. The offer was entirely unprompted.
“This is his locker and I’m actually kind of scared because I think he is going to say something about me being in his locker,” young Zach LaVine said.
LaVine offered the locker back to Garnett, who declined and instead will dress one seat over.
However, LaVine was quick to put a positive spin on his new locker room arrangements.
“I did more than offer; I wanted him to take it,” LaVine said. “I wanted him to sit there. I said, ‘I’ll move!’ But it’s going to be great for me; I know that. Future hall of famer, man, everyone wants to get to his level. He was playing in this league before I was born!”
It’s hard to tell whether the exclamation points are meant to convey excitement or skittishness within the context of what’s being said. This is Kevin Garnett we’re talking about.
“As one of our veteran guys told our young guys yesterday, ‘Hey, listen, when KG walks in the locker room your phones better be tucked away, because if they’re not, they’re going to get thrown in the toilet on game night,’ ” Saunders noted.
About Ryan Wong