Kevin Garnett Passes On Lessons Learned From Michael Jordan to Chicago Teens
The James Jordan Boys and Girls Club on the West Side of Chicago welcomed a special guest on Wednesday night. Celtics forward Kevin Garnett was brought in to speak to teenagers and their mentors as part of a Wheaties Fuel event.
It brought back a fond memory for KG, who lived in Chicago as a teenager, to say the least.
"It's crazy to sit here because I can remember sitting on a floor just like this listening to Michael Jordan say some of the same things I'm telling you guys," Garnett said, according to ESPN.com. "I'm sitting there like, 'Man, Jordan's just talking, man. I don't want to hear that, man. He ain't never been in the 'hood. You ain't never been out there.' And I understand that because I'm looking at y'a'll, I'm seeing a lot of myself in y'all … I was just like that. I was very similar to y'all. That's who we are. That's who I am. And you don't have to change that for anybody, so remember that."
Garnett left the kids with some strong advice.
"Basketball is just work. It's just like a grind to be honest," he said. "It's about how much you want to put into it, versus what you want out of it. So just know if you love the work and you have the focus, you can be the best at anything, as long as you're able to put your mind, and put the effort into it, all right?"
Check out the video below of KG and his thoughts on the importance of mentoring.
