Kevin Garnett has been keeping tabs on the Boston Celtics during the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Considering he played for the team from 2007 to 2013, and the franchise retired his number on March 13, 2022, it makes sense that he still has ties to the Celtics almost 10 years after he last played for them.
When the Celtics beat the Golden State Warriors on June 2, 2022, to take a 1-0 lead in the 2022 NBA Finals, Garnett gave a shoutout to his former team for their resiliency. Garnett also shouted out Brown for his Game 1 performance.
“Shout to the C’s. (In the) third quarter, they stayed in it. They took the big punches, you know what I’m saying? They stayed in it, stayed together. Jay Brown got it going and then the momentum, and the rest is history! Anything can happen in this though. Shout-out to the C’s in the first game.”
.@KevinGarnett5KG reaction after Game ☝️
KG believes in the @celtics ☘️ #NBAFinals
In 38 minutes of action, Brown scored 24 points on 10-for-23 shooting from the field along with seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals. He had the highest plus-minus among the starters at plus-22. Brown did the most damage in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 points and dishing out all five of his assists.
Brown and Garnett have previously shown to have a rapport with one another.
Brown and Garnett Interacted During Garnett’s Ceremony
The Celtics played the Dallas Mavericks on the day of Garnett’s retirement ceremony. During that game, Jaylen Brown had an emphatic dunk over Maxi Kleber. Following the dunk, Brown high-fived Garnett who had been sitting right by the rim.
The Celtics wound up losing that game, but it was fun to see current and former Celtics show a sense of comraderie because sequences like those don’t happen all too often.
Before the game, Garnett came to visit the Celtics locker room, where he showed his rapport with both Brown and Marcus Smart before the game.
Brown Admitted That Garnett is His Spirit Animal
Jaylen Brown’s started his NBA career just as Kevin Garnett ended his. Even though Garnett had just retired when Brown came into the league, Brown has acknowledged Garnett’s influence on him as a basketball player in the past.
On June 30, 2020, Brown elaborated on the impact Garnett has had on Brown as a basketball player, even calling Garnett his spirit animal.
“As a young person, looking up to how he carried himself on the court and his demeanor, I respect it,” Brown said. “I think that’s how the game is supposed to be approached… The energy that he brought to the game is my spirit animal. I love it. I don’t always personify it the way KG did, but that’s someone I’ll definitely tap into in the future.”
Brown said that while he doesn’t think he and Garnett have similar playing styles, he said that he models his approach to the game after Garnett.
“He’s somebody I’m definitely inspired by for sure… I think we play two different positions, but I would like to model my approach after his. Hopefully we will, down the road, be looked at more similar but he’s somebody I’m definitely chasing for sure.”
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Kevin Garnett Shouts Out Jaylen Brown in Celtics Victory