If basketball fans remember correctly, the All-Star weekend in 2003 had everything. A neck-and-neck game, a head-turning trophy, and a swan song by the greatest player who ever graced the game. But, out of the three, one managed to stand out from the rest. Care to guess what?
Yes, the Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett stole the thunder from Michael Jordan in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta. That All-Star Game was Jordan’s last before his final retirement. After the game, officials named the then-Timberwolves forward as the All-Star Game MVP. While that was a big honor, KG recalled receiving an oversized trophy instead of the traditional plaque-like MVP trophy.
Recently, a post surfaced on Instagram, wherein a clip of the Ticket and the Truth podcast was shown. In the clip, Kevin Garnett can be seen recounting the moment when he received the MVP trophy. He said, “I was like, ‘What is this?’ I heard AI say, ‘Oh, he gonna drop that motherfu***.’ And I just said, ‘Ain’t gonna drop this motherfu****. But then it had a lid on it, ‘Oh sh**, I’m about to drop this motherfu****. So we take a picture, and I put the motherfu*** between my legs, and that sh** damn near my stomach. That motherfu*** big as sh**. That sh** wad made of wood, double wood,” mentioning the astounding size of the trophy and how different it was from the iterations of years before.
Credits: Andrew D. Bernstein/ Getty Images
While winning an All-Star trophy is a great honor, it comes with the prerequisite of the All-Star weekend also happening. There was once such an instance in the NBA where the All-Star Weekend did not even happen. It was in the 1998-99 season, a forgotten blip in the vast history of the NBA. A little part of the blame can be shed on the man himself, Kevin Garnett. Let us take a look.
1998-99: The bizarre season where the All-Star Weekend never happened
During the 1998-99 season, the owners of the NBA teams locked out all their players. Consequently, the NBA season was shortened to 50 games. Strange, right? But wait. what is even stranger is that in that season, there were no trades, no NBA-sanctioned summer leagues, no player signings, and no contact between players and team representatives. The worst part? There was no All-Star weekend as well.
Straight after the 1998 draft, the labor negotiations in the league came to a rapid halt. The burning issue? Growing profits and how the profits would be allocated in the coming seasons. The team owners were quick to speculate and discuss. Among other things was the issue of the salary cap. They were quick to blame Kevin Garnett and his infamous 1997 $126 million contract. According to the former Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, Russ Granik, “That … changed the landscape. “ “This was the one where owners said something had to be done.” The owners did precisely that, locking out the players and depriving fans of an All-Star Weekend. To this day, fans still speculate of what could have been.
Kevin Garnett has, indeed, seen it all. From playing in 15 all-star games. To winning an All-Star MVP, to beginning a tidal wave that consumed the likelihood of an All-Star game happening in the 1998-99 season. He is truly a marvel.
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