After 22 years carving out a legendary career, Kevin Garnett retired from the NBA in 2016.
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NBA legend Kevin Garnett opens up on his new TNT show, what's tough about life after basketball, and his hopes for the NBA Finals
Kevin Garnett has become a fan-favorite analyst on TNT's "Area 21," bringing his usual fiery personality from the court to the set.
Kevin Garnett on TNT's "Area 21."
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However, he wasn't away from basketball for long. At the start of the 2016-17 NBA season, TNT announced that Garnett would have his own show to go with "Inside the NBA" titled "Area 21" in which he'd discuss games and current events in the league with guests.
Garnett the analyst hasn't been entirely different from Garnett the player — he's energetic, talkative, and fiery, seldom holding back his feelings about other players and teams. He's also proven to be funny and engaging while talking with former players like Rasheed Wallace, Gary Payton, and Kevin McHale, and NFL players like Randy Moss, Ray Lewis, and Larry Fitzgerald. In turn, "Area 21" has become a fan-favorite, as viewers have gotten to see a more light-hearted, entertaining version of Garnett than the versatile, defensive menace that helped change the league.
Garnett spoke to Business Insider about his work on "Area 21," adjusting to life without basketball, his desire (or lack thereof) to teach other NBA players, and his thoughts on the NBA playoffs and finals.
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Scott Davis: What's been the biggest adjustment for you as an analyst?
Kevin Garnett: "The language. Right away [laughs]. The way I communicate. Obviously, there's been some adjustments … When I'm telling games, I have to be very, very neutral, as much as I can be. I try to be a very true and real perspective. But at the same time, try to teach and pull up the points in which I feel are most valuable to our game and teach them in hopes that people can continue to love our game."
Davis: You always have a lot of energy on the show and seem fired up. Do you have a pre-TV routine in the way you had a pregame routine?
Garnett: "I just like to bring a certain amount of [energy] to whatever it is I'm doing. I like to be a source of — there’s people coming in from their day, people coming in checking out the games … I know when I'm in my man cave at my home, I’m relaxing out with my friends, so I'm considering if you're at home, you want some energy, you don’t want me to be laid back. So, if I'm teaching you something and trying to hold your attention for as many hours as I'm doing it, you need me to be energetic."
Davis: In a recent interview with AP News, you said it's been a tough adjustment retiring and going from playing and having a routine to suddenly not having any of that. Is there a way you look to burn off energy now, or have you picked up any hobbies to keep you occupied?
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Davis: What does your business entail?
Davis: You mentioned your consultant work with the Clippers. They obviously just lost Game 7 to the Jazz and got eliminated from the playoffs. Why do you think this team can’t get over the hump in the postseason?
Davis: Would you run it back and re-sign free agents like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and J.J. Redick?
Davis: What teams have impressed you this postseason?
Davis: J.J. Redick shared a funny anecdote about you on Bill Simmons' podcast, saying you told him he should charge players to learn his tricks for getting open and shooting. So, here's a two-parter: what skill would you charge other players to learn from you, and what other players around the league could charge to teach people their skills?
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Davis: If you were coming into the NBA today, do you think you'd be a small-ball 5, shooting threes and spacing the floor?
Davis: This was a debate making news the other day: Is Draymond Green the modern day Charles Barkley? He said he's not.
Davis: Lastly, your Finals prediction?
Davis: Who do you have winning?
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