Avery Bradley may not have had an exceptional NBA career, but he surely had some memorable moments. And his teammate from the Boston Celtics Kevin Garnett has shared one of those in a recent episode of his show. In fact, the instance is one that may have been the turning point for Bradley as a player.    

Appearing on KG Certified, the 15x All-Star recollected his first memories of Bradley being a model-like person with a nice haircut and earrings. He further revealed the then-Celtics rookie hurt his ankle and could not play well in the camp. Subsequently, he played for one week in the G-League and when he returned; he was a changed person. “Hair was knotty. He ain’t shaved. He had a cut under his eye,” KG said.

Kevin Garnett further recalled the first play of scrimmage upon Bradley’s return. Notably, the 2020 NBA champ during a play took two steps and dunked Kendrick Perkins so hard that the practice had to be stopped. “You know what he said to me after the dunk? “I ain’t going back. I ain’t never going back…,” Garnett said on the show.

The 15x All-Star also mentioned how Rajon Rondo made each other better through their guard play. As for Bradley’s performance in the G-League, he played 9 games, so it’s evident he did what he said — not return to it. As for the stats, in a short run, he averaged 17.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 4.3 turnovers, and 3.0 steals per game.      

And as far as Bradley’s NBA career goes, he may have had a rough start, but he soon made significant improvement. His first and only championship game with the Lakers in the 2020 season. But Bradley’s 11.0 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game through his NBA career do not justify the improvement he showed during the mid part of his career. 

Avery Bradley became the Celtics’ success story around 2016

During his initial seasons in the league, the ex-NBA star seemed to lack ball-handling skills and court vision. But his physical and on-ball defense slowly played in his favor as he made it to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team by his third season (2012-13). 

Meanwhile, by season 2016, Bradley made it to the NBA All-Defensive First Team. And his seventh season in the league, the then-26-year-old developed a well-rounded game. In season 2016-17, he averaged 16.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.  

Speaking of performance, Bradley told Bleacher Report that people only know Avery Bradley as a defender. The then Celtics coach Brad Stevens also had acknowledged the NBA champ’s improvement. “He’s played well. If you look at kind of the arc of his efficiency over the last four years, he’s really risen, and continues that rise,” he said. This improvement graph witnessed a decline after season 2017-18. But Bradley managed what most prominent NBA stars occasionally fail to do — claim an NBA championship.  

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.