Kevin Garnett marked the NBA of the 2000s. Moreover, he shared the spotlight with another dominant interior, although different in style: Shaquille O’Neal… Obviously, when the latter is accused by a journalist of always having been out of shape in his career, KG comes to his rescue!
When we think of the physically dominant interiors of the 2000s, two names come to mind. Shaquille O’Neal, whose strength was unmatched and unmatched, and Kevin Garnett, whose blend of speed, mobility, and explosiveness made him one of the best players in history as a strong winger.
If the two legends shared this domination, their approach to the game was quite different. KG was a hard worker, a hard worker, when the Diesel relied more on his talent and let himself go off the court. For the journalist of The Ringer Bill Simmons, Shaq has spent a good part of his career out of shape. A “blasphemy” that Garnett did not let pass in his podcast.
Bill Simmons : You know you have a problem when Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley blame you for not taking basketball seriously. Barkley has been out of form for half of his career, and Shaq too has only given his all from start to finish in a season once …
Kevin Garnett : That’s why I have a problem with reporters … Shaq wouldn’t run as fast as the other pivots? It was not his strength. He was a brute, he pushed his opponents under the basket! And it was all organized around that outside. He went to the gym, got stronger, and arrived unleashed in the playoffs.
He’s never been out of shape or anything! He looked out of shape, but he was still shooting 25 points, 12 rebounds, and I don’t know how many assists! Stop with your nonsense… When you are not in shape you do not score 25 points per game in the NBA! To be out of shape is to be out of breath after climbing stairs, not 12/25!
Kevin Garnett may be offended, it is difficult to say that Shaquille O’Neal was in great shape after his time at the Lakers, where he came close to 170 kilos! On the other hand, we must also recognize that its weight has never been a brake on its great performances, on the contrary! The pivot was able to transform its mass into a considerable advantage over the pivots of the time.
The solidarity between legends is beautiful. To defend his friend, Kevin Garnett went so far as to reprimand a host on his own show!
