Before they were stars : KG

[Rashi]

So I came across this article on espn.com, and even though it was published in June...I don't think anyone posted it. If it was already posted, then sorry for re-posting it, but if it wasn't then you guys should def read the article.

Link : http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/columns/story?page=beforetheywerestars-garnett-100608

And below am just going to drop a few of my fav parts from the article.

A photo, taken from the pages of USA Today, showed Garnett and the other top prep players from around the country. And after each game he played against one of the faces depicted, Garnett, as competitive at the age of 19 as he is now at 34, would draw a big X over that player's face.

"He had a hit list," said Farragut head coach William "Wolf" Nelson. "Whether it was playing with me, playing in summer league, it didn't matter. When it was clear that he was on top, he would strike them out one by one. He wanted to be the No. 1 guy."

Nelson began taking him to Kennedy King Community College for pickup games -- "That's where the best of the best get out," Nelson said -- and brought adults and former players to practice, but even that wasn't enough.

"We'd walk in the gym and everyone would rather get his autograph than play against him," Nelson said.

So Nelson began diverting the weekend and after-school trips to the roughest neighborhoods he could think of.

"We went to some places that were hard-core," Nelson said. "I took him to some jungles, everywhere I knew that they didn't care about your reputation. They'd either make you or break you."

He was also a harsh self-critic, wearing rubber bands around his wrists and snapping them to scold himself for mistakes.