Kevin Garnett Explains Why So Many Pro Athletes Get Caught With Guns And It Actually Makes A Ton Of Sense

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It’s sort of impossible to know what it’s like to be a professional athlete unless you’ve ever been in a position where you’ve been paid millions of dollars by virtue of being one of the most insanely talented people on the planet, which is something I assume the vast majority of people reading this have never experienced.

Kevin Garnett, on the other hand, knows a thing or two about what it’s like to live a life that most of us can only dream of, as he entered the NBA straight out of high school and proceeded to play 21 seasons in the league while raking in $326 million over the course of his Hall of Fame career.

It’s safe to say Kevin Garnett wasn’t exactly known for his restraint on the court during his playing days, and since hanging up his sneakers, he’s continued to sound off on a wide array of topics while deploying his encyclopedic knowledge of the game that’s defined his life—which he’ll be reflecting on in KG A to Z, a memoir he put together slated to be released later this month.

The basketball legend recently sat down with The New York Times for an incredibly compelling conversation in which he shed some light on a variety of issues, including the incredibly fierce personality that led to him frequently butting heads with David Stern as well as the current state of the NBA and the markedly different approach Adam Silver has taken when it comes to overseeing the organization.

In addition to routinely breaking down the game for idiots like myself while serving as an analyst, Garnett has devoted some of his retirement to offering his advice to some of his fellow big men currently doing their thing in the NBA in the hopes he can both help them take their talents to the next level and make it easier to navigate the incredibly unique lifestyle that comes with playing in the league.

This includes the mo problems that come with having mo money than you know what to do with, as Garnett is intimately familiar with the downsides that come with never worrying about having to check your bank account—at least until you wake up one day and realize it’s empty (a fate he’s been able to avoid). There is also plenty of temptation that players risk falling victim to, and when high-profile athletes find themselves in hot water, a lot of people are more than happy to put them on blast for jeopardizing their career and the perks that come with it over seemingly avoidable issues.

This includes the players in the NBA and beyond who’ve figuratively (and, in the case of Plaxico Burress, literally) found themselves on the end of a self-inflicted wound after landing in legal trouble due to gun-related incidents. There’s no example nearly as notable as the time Gilbert Arenas brought a firearm into the locker room after a particularly contentious card game, an incident Garnett alluded to while offering some insight into why so many guys have befallen a similar fate over the years:

“You hear a lot of ‘Oh, man, an athlete had a gun, and da da da.’ Well, a lot of people look at professional athletes as a mark. We don’t get to tell people: “Nah, I don’t have $200. I don’t have some bread to give you.” You have so many different people coming at you for all types of stuff. Some good, some bad. You have to filter it.”

I’m sure some people might say that’s an issue that could be easily solved by outsourcing gun-carrying duties to a member of your entourage, but there’s really no use in saying what you would do if you were an NBA player unless you’ve walked a mile in their absurdly large shoes.

Connor Toole avatar and headshot for BroBible
Connor Toole is the Deputy Editor at BroBible. He is a New England native who went to Boston College and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. Frequently described as "freakishly tall," he once used his 6'10" frame to sneak in the NBA Draft and convince people he was a member of the Utah Jazz.