Kevin Garnett has no problem admitting he feels like a proud dad when he watches Giannis Antetokounmpo dominate the NBA today.
“It wasn’t until the third time, or I think I was a little older,” Garnett said on the Hear District podcast. “I think I was in Minnesota. I think we had a preseason game against Milwaukee, and I could tell just how… he looked like Bruce Lee. He looked super-ripped. He looked different. He wasn’t like… his posture was straight-up. He looked super… So when I saw that, that was my first interaction with him and then obviously the next year, I retired, and then I got a call from J-Kidd to ask me if I can actually come in and work with him cuz Giannis had requested to come in.”
That call came in December 2016, when Garnett was spotted in the Bucks facility working privately with Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Giannis later explained just how intense the workouts were.
“I had a week of workouts with him,” Antetokounmpo recalled. “He was sweating more than me. I was the one working out… best experience of my life.”
During those early sessions, Garnett drilled “warrior mentality” into Giannis, reportedly repeating the phrase hundreds of times. By the following year, KG was back in Milwaukee checking on Giannis and Middleton, while also mentoring young big man Thon Maker.
The results spoke for themselves. Antetokounmpo went on to win Most Improved Player in 2017, Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, and back-to-back MVPs in 2019 and 2020.
“I feel proud, man. I feel like a father,” Garnett added. “You know what I’m saying? When I watch him, I’m proud. I’m happy that he’s happy.”
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