Kevin Garnett: The Beating Heart of Basketball
Desire, will to win, heart, intensity; these are all driving forces for success in the world of sports. Few in the sport of basketball or other sports have a combination of these attributes to succeed. Athletes like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Ray Lewis, Brian Dawkins, Tom Brady, are all some of the most intense athletes to ever step foot onto the field or court. However, few have the heart that Kevin Garnett does.
Kevin Garnett entered the league in 1995 as the 5th overall pick of the NBA draft and ever since then, the league has not been the same. In high school, Garnett played at Farragut Academy high school and was named the National High School Player of the Year by USA Today. He then went on to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves and won an MVP award during his stay there. Through his years in Minnesota, he was the heart of the team. The team would have gone virtually nowhere without the leadership and intensity of Kevin Garnett. He was the face of the franchise and took them as far as the Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, his effort was not enough as the Timberwolves never got past the Conference Finals. Feeling his talents were not enough, Garnett agreed to team up with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to help bring championship glory back to Boston.
Ever since Garnett has been a member of the Boston Celtics, the team culture and chemistry is at new heights with KG being a leader in that locker room. He is the heart and soul of the defensive side of the ball and brings his ferocity to the offensive side of the court. Garnett is categorized, by some, as being overly vicious and sometimes even “dirty”. Garnett has himself acknowledged, “That’s the way I’ve played the game my entire career. I’m not dirty, I play with my heart and soul every day, day in and day out.” That was all on full display during the 2008 Championship run. As soon as the final buzzer sounded in Game 6, the emotion just poured off Garnett’s face and he was in the ultimate state of ecstasy. “I’ll be out there banged up, 30%, 20%, there’s no numbers, it’s my heart and you can’t measure that.” Truly no one will be able to measure Garnett’s heart. It’s immeasurable. No NBA player has ever changed a team’s culture to the extent that Garnett did. “I won’t ever accept losing, ever.” Truly Garnett has been a winner at every level he’s played at. He’s a winner as a leader, as a player, and as a person. Kevin Garnett is the epitome of a leader in the world of sports.
