Basketball fans know big man Kevin Garnett as one of the best power forwards to ever grace the NBA and perhaps as one of the most intense players to ever touch the hardwood. Throughout his tenure, Garnett played with an edge few had, leading to his physical dominance on both ends of the court.
KG played out an illustrious two-decade-plus career that saw him rack up accolades left and right but his lasting impact will be as one of the dwindling old school players in the NBA, the last of a dying breed. While we see players hanging out frequently off the court nowadays and becoming good friends with their competition, Garnett held a different mindset where he was determined to dominate his matchup night in and night out and not in a nice way.
Beating your opponent physically is one thing, but what made Garnett so special and has him regarded in such high esteem was his uncanny ability to get into his opponent’s head with trash-talking. He didn’t care if what he said hurt your feelings or crossed the line, Garnett just wanted to win and would do anything to make sure it happened. Being one of the most passionate players of all-time, Garnett studied plenty of people trying to add to his game and workout routine but one icon who significantly altered his training habits is singer and international figure Beyonce.
You may be wondering how a multi-grammy winning pop artist such as Beyonce could ever help the physically demanding training of an all-time great like Kevin Garnett, but Los Angeles Clippers guard J.J. Redick talked about it on an episode of Bill Simmons’ podcast:
“One time I saw her working out, and she was doing her dances and she was singing while she was doing her dancing,” Garnett told Redick. “So then I’m thinking to myself, maybe I should run and sing at the same time. So in the offseason, I would go to Malibu and I would go down to the beach, and when I run on the beach I would be like ‘Lalala lalala lalala,’ while I’m running. So then, when I get on the court and I’m getting back on defense and I’m talking on defense, I don’t get tired.”
Redick obviously got this training tactic from Garnett because he recently agreed to help out as a consultant for the Clippers. Garnett sure has a wealth of experience and tips to share with younger NBA players so his spot as an assistant makes plenty of sense and is well-deserved for the 15-time All-Star.
