“Most Unselfish Player We’ve Ever Had”: Celtics Legend Gives LeBron James a Compliment to Cherish

It’s been a few years since Kevin Garnett retired from the NBA. He went down as one of the all-time greats, and the league dearly misses his presence. KG was a tremendous athlete who often locked horns with LeBron James when the pair was lighting up the Eastern Conference. Now, Garnett has some pleasant words to share about his former rival. 

In a recent telephonic interview with Yahoo Sports, KG weighed in on the NBA’s bubble in Orlando and commented on the gift that keeps on giving, i.e. LeBron James. Garnett showered LeBron with immense respect, giving the 35-year-old all the credit that he deserves. 

“He’s the most unselfish player we’ve ever had,” Garnett mentioned. “His superpower has always the ability to bring out the best in his teammates. The King has a real finesse of when to attack, when to be aggressive and when to play it safe.”

KG mentioned how LeBron is fired up this year after missing the Playoffs with the Lakers last season. “You can tell missing his first postseason since 2005 last year brought out a very focused player in him this season,” Garnett stated.

“LeBron’s attention to detail is unmatched. He does a great job of focusing on the strengths of the competition and fine-tuning his own game to rival that intensity.”

It is certainly heartwarming to see Kevin Garnett throw heaps of praise at LeBron James. However, it also comes as a surprise because, just a few days ago, KG took a huge dig at the King! 

When Kevin Garnett threw shade at LeBron James for the 2010 playoff loss

Kevin Garnett and LeBron James were once fierce competitors. Their most memorable meeting came during the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals. LeBron was put to the ultimate test of getting past a ‘Big 3’ Celtics team comprising Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. 

Garnett even credits that series as the one where the Celtics schooled LeBron and sent him packing from Cleveland. A young and fiery LeBron James enjoyed his second straight MVP season, when his Cavs team met the Celtics in the second round of the Playoffs. 

The Celtics dominated the series and ended up winning 4-2, and Garnett recently recalled fond memories of dominating a 26-year-old LeBron on the ‘Load Management’ podcast. 

“When we formed in Boston, and you can never get past that. That’s why I say, we took the jersey off in 2010, he buried that jersey under the TD Bank Arena. That 23 Bron jersey was buried under the garden,” Garnett expressed.  

It was an intense series in which the Celtics eventually prevailed. However, King James rose back to the throne when he left the Cavs and joined Miami Heat the following season. The rest is history.