Trending topics:
NBA

Ray Allen stopped Kevin Garnett from joining Kobe Bryant in 2007

NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen recently admitted that he convinced Kevin Garnett from teaming up with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007.

Published by

By ernesto cova

Garnett faced Kobe in the Finals in 2008 and 2010. (Getty)
Garnett faced Kobe in the Finals in 2008 and 2010. (Getty)

It’s funny how drastically things can change in the blink of an eye. The decisions we make can have a toll on the way we think of or know about anything, and that’s what happened when Kevin Garnett shook the NBA by joining the Boston Celtics in 2007.

Garnett tried to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to an NBA championship but constantly fell short of the goal as the team’s management failed to surround him by elite talent. Then, it was clear that they had to hit the panic button and rebuild, while The Big Ticket could still join a contending team to fulfill his dream of winning a championship.

However, things could have been pretty different back then, as Ray Allen recently confessed in James Posey’s podcast that he was the one who convinced Garnett to join the Celtics, as he had actually agreed to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to join forces with Kobe Bryant.

Advertisement

Ray Allen stopped Kevin Garnett from joining Kobe Bryant in 2007

“Kevin Garnett had a no-trade clause and he was planning on going to the Lakers and teaming up with Kobe. But Danny Ainge came up to me later in the summer saying we might have something brewing with KG,” Allen said. “So I got on the phone with Kevin and I was like ‘we would love you here, this is a great situation and I’m excited’. It helped him because we knew each other growing up and he knew it was going to be a new situation for all of us,” he added.

This move ended up altering the course of history as we know it. Garnett and the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals to add to their league-leading 17 Larry O’Brien trophies.

Advertisement
Ruthless: LeBron James mocks Russell Westbrook

see also

Later on, they rematched in 2010, this time with the Lakers ending on top. But if Garnett had joined the Purple and Gold, it’s likely that not only the Celtics hadn’t made it to the Finals in 2008 but also that Kobe would have won a second three-peat and tying Michael Jordan with 6. Perhaps, history would rank him even higher after that.

Survey

Could Garnett help the Lakers win 3-5 rings?

ALREADY VOTED 0 PEOPLE

Advertisement

Ernesto Cova is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, and international soccer. Since the inception of Bolavip US in 2020, he has been a leading content creator and took on additional responsibilities as a sub-editor in 2023. Ernesto specializes in daily sports news, producing 100% original content that includes potential trade rumors, player and team rankings, and more. He holds a BA in Psychology from Universidad Central de Venezuela and has completed postgraduate studies in Sports Psychology at APDA (Argentina). His previous work includes contributions to Fadeaway World and The Cold Wire, with a primary focus on the NBA.

Check our latest news in Google News

ALSO READ

Video: Lionel Messi scores brace in first half for Inter Miami vs Columbus Crew
Soccer

Video: Lionel Messi scores brace in first half for Inter Miami vs Columbus Crew

Christian McCaffrey's dad blames his son for his Achilles tendinitis
NFL

Christian McCaffrey's dad blames his son for his Achilles tendinitis

NBA News: Former Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook snubs LeBron James with Nikola Jokic praise
NBA

NBA News: Former Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook snubs LeBron James with Nikola Jokic praise

Novak Djokovic slams tennis' 'system' after Jannik Sinner's doping case is appealed
Sports

Novak Djokovic slams tennis' 'system' after Jannik Sinner's doping case is appealed

Receive the latest news in your E-mail box

Registering implies accepting the Terms and Conditions

Better Collective Logo