If there’s one athlete that revolutionized sneaker culture, it’s Michael Jordan. From the second he stepped on the court, he made Air Jordans the symbol of a relentless trend. Someone who witnessed the Jumpman mania firsthand put it into perspective on his show. This player who was denied his own pair of Air Jordans would go on to become an NBA star with his own signature shoe.

But first, he was a young athlete looking up to?His Airness.?His mother, however, curbed that enthusiasm for his safety.

Celtics legend reveals why he was denied Air Jordans

Before Kevin Garnett made his debut as an NBA pro in 1995, Michael Jordan was reigning supreme on the court and in the sneaker business. Kevin spent his formative years aspiring for similar greatness. And he wasn’t the only one.

While hosting industry expert, Nick DePaula, on?KG Certified, the?Big Ticket?revealed that Jordan’s iconic shoes had a near-hazardous hype. The duo recalled that new Air Jordan editions would drop on Wednesdays and kids would skip school to get their hands on it before they’re sold out. But not Garnett.

When he was young, Garnett saved money from a job to treat himself to a pair of Air Jordans. But even though it was his money, his mother didn’t allow him to spend it on the sneakers. “I remember my mom saying like ‘nah,‘”?he recalled. He further added his mom saying, “like I know it’s your money but safety is everything.”?

Both discussed the first time they heard someone “got shot over some shoes“ during Jordan’s first three-peat. So KG’s mom’s concerns were valid. DePaula said Air Jordans were way over budget when he was young, so he didn’t have them. But hearing about violent incidents over the shoes scared him.

WATCH THIS STORY | ‘Boss’ Shaquille O’Neal Silences Hate-Filled LaVar Ball’s Rant With 3-Word Stinging Reality Check

The former Boston Celtics star expressed something similar in the past too and he could understand where his mother was coming from. “We’re going to school and yeah, first time I heard someone get hurt over some shoes it made me go what, like, what, I can… get hurt?over these.”

Both believed that the obsession to get a pair of the Jumpman-bearing shoes spoke of Jordan and Nike’s marketing prowess. “If you wear these shoes you can play like Michael Jordan,” their ad campaign made kids like a young Garnett feel. Yet his awe for MJ didn’t translate into a Nike partnership.

Kevin Garnett created his own version of Air Jordans

After his mom denied him a pair of Air Jordans, you’d think KG could buy a pair himself on his NBA salary. But he would shun a Nike design offered to him for practicality instead of safety.

When Garnett looks at Air Jordans, he admires the “patent leather”?and “carbon fiber” in the design. He expected something of that grade. But the prototypes were more than disappointing. He rejected Nike’s pre-decided design to create his own shoe with the brand’s engineers. Thus arrived the Air Garnett and its various incarnations.

Garnett saw his own potential in the branding and designing department, leading him to sign with AND1, taking the short-lived brand to its prime. After Garnett switched to Adidas, the iconic design was rebranded into the Nike Air LE. He would meanwhile win his 2008 title wearing Adidas. His last sneaker deal was with the Chinese brand, Anta.

READ MORE: Despite Owning $5.81 Billion LA Franchises, Magic Johnson’s 8YO Venture Lands Him Spot Alongside Michael Jordan

The NBA has many sneaker stories speaking of the player’s persona behind that signature shoe. Who would’ve thought KG’s sneaker story started with the Air Jordans he never got?