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Kevin Garnett on not noticing Giannis Antetokounmpo until he looked like Bruce Lee

Originally posted on Ball Exclusives | By Titan Frey | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 11:27 AM ET

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the strongest players in the NBA. He wasn’t always this way. In fact, when he came into the league, Antetokounmpo was quite skinny, and it was because of this that Kevin Garnett never took notice of him.

“Well, I had played against Giannis a couple of times, and I think the first couple of times I played him, I didn’t even remember. It wasn’t anything that made me kind of, you know, stick out to remember the kid or anything. I don’t even recall it… to the point where it wasn’t an impression.

“It wasn’t until the third time, or I think I was a little older. I think it was in Minnesota. I think we had a preseason game against Milwaukee, and I could tell just how he looked like Bruce Lee. He looked super ripped.”

(Starts 31:55)

Antetokounmpo not only became ripped and strong, but he also became unstoppable, winning MVPs and an NBA championship. He will now be on a mission to regain his winning ways as the last few years have been a little disappointing, especially for his standards.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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