While plenty of players have made the leap directly from high school to the NBA in the seven-decade history of the league, when Boston Celtics Hall of Fame big man Kevin Garnett decided to do so, it was seen as a potentially risky proposition given how few recent high-level success stories there had been at the time.
Amid a horde of think pieces predicting his demise as a star prospect, The Big Ticket bucked the trend and went directly from Chicago’s Farragut Academy to the NBA draft. While looking back events seem almost preordained, the expectations of his pending failure that proliferated in that moment were not lost on a young Garnett.
On a recent episode of the Players Tribune “Knuckleheads” podcast, Garnett broke down why he made the decision to go directly to the NBA despite all the hand-wringing over his choice.
Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what he had to say about a pivotal moment in his career.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
Related
NBA unveils John Havlicek Sixth Man of the Year trophy alongside new suite of trophies
Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon thinks a Boston Celtics-Golden State Warriors finals rematch likely
Is Joe Mazzulla’s Boston Celtics success proof talent beats coaching?
Kevin Garnett on his Hall of Fame career from Minnesota to Boston and back again
Woj: Boston Celtics star center Robert Williams III cleared to play
Everything you ever wanted to know about Robert Williams III (but weren’t afraid to ask)
List
Celtics, NBA Twitter react to Boston getting blown out by the Clippers at the Crypt
List
New Bleacher Report assessment tabs Malcolm Brogdon as NBA’s fifth-best shooter
List
Coaching misteps, overthinking Boston’s 2022 Finals rematch with Dubs cost Celtics a winnable game
List
Boston Celtics alumni, NBA react to Paul Silas’ passing
Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire
