“There are two things I’m scared of in life. It’s God and my mom.” This fear was so strong that Kevin Garnett kept his basketball career a secret from his mother for a time. Eventually, she found out and fully supported KG’s dream. Over the years, the former NBA champion has repeatedly credited his mother, Shirley Garnett, for his upbringing and for shaping him into the person he is today. Recently, he shared a reel that captures just how tough his mother was.

“Ladies n gentleman I like to introduce my mother SHIRLEY G.. no games @ all…😤😤🫡💯Luh you ma😂🤷🏿‍♂️💯❤️🤝.” The Big Ticket shared a reel on his Instagram story, where a lady has perfected the way to take down somebody using martial arts techniques. This is what Keven Garnett wanted to demonstrate about his mother’s will. “N this how all my friends mothers got down!! THAT’S WHY WERE ALL REAL MEN 🫡💯 .. THX U TO MOMS WHO RAISED REAL MEN🫡💯🤝.”

Even in his Hall of Fame enshrinement speech, the 2004 MVP gave flowers to his mother for his hard-nosed style. “My mother’s a very intense and very passionate woman who cared about her craft, cared about the quality of her craft. And I think I took some of that from her so if you guys want to blame me or blame the intensity, blame her for that. I want to thank my mother Shirley for that.”

She initially was not a fan of KG’s basketball abilities, so the 15-time All-Star didn’t tell his mother that he played basketball for his high school team until his senior year. Once he transferred to Farragut Career Academy, living with his sister in Chicago. He even explained how his mother Shirley Garnett found out and what was her initial reaction on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Kevin Garnett was scared to his stomach seeing his mother

It was not that KG’s mom was against his dreams. All she wanted was for him to complete his education and help his family. “She found out when I was a junior in high school. I made varsity in 8th grade, and she was like, ‘What? No. You’re gonna go to school, you’re gonna focus on education. I want you to get into these books.‘”

The secret of Kevin Garnett could have been hidden for a long time, if not for his classmate. As per the Celtics legend, one of his classmates went to his mom’s hairdressing studio and mentioned she was going to watch Garnett play.”I was in the layup line, laying it up. It was a typical night — we were playing a rival, it was a big night. Then my mom walked in with my little sister, and I almost pooped on myself.”

Standing nearly 7 feet tall, KG was still afraid of his mother—and for good reason. She prioritized education first and wanted her son to focus on that. However, once she saw his basketball abilities, even she became fully supportive of his NBA dream. It’s this support, along with his undeniable talent and hard work, that ultimately led Kevin Garnett to become a certified Hall of Famer.