Kevin McHale was an executive for the Minnesota Timberwolves when Kevin Garnett was drafted by the team straight out of high school. Admittedly, McHale gambled on drafting Garnett, since high school players were so much inexperienced and only the biggest talents were able to make that leap successfuly.
Early on, McHale realized that they didn’t make a mistake in banking on KG’s upside as a player. They quickly developed a great relationship. In fact, McHale has an array of unforgettable moments with the young KG.
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One of McHale’s favorite Garnett stories happened during their first year of working together. According to McHale, it was a random practice day conversation between him and KG in which the youngster was convincing him to work out at midnight.
“Oh god [laughs]. I remember this one time, I’m 37, 38 years old. Kevin’s a rookie,” McHale once recalled. “He comes in my office and says, ‘I’m gonna come back tonight at midnight. Come on we’ll work out.’ I looked at him like, ‘I am not working out at midnight’ [laughs].”
“I’m here from like nine in the morning to like four in the afternoon, any time in there I’m good,” he continued. “But I am not coming at midnight. And I was just laughing because he was such a hard worker.”
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KG credits McHale for molding him
Well aware that they had drafted a kid, McHale knew right away that he would need to guide Garnett every step of the way. Despite his busy schedule at the Timberwolves front office, McHale took it upon himself to provide KG with some nuggets of wisdom whenever he could.
For his part, Garnett soaked up everything he could from McHale like a good pupil. He didn’t just live up to McHale’s expectations.
He exceeded it.
The remarkable work ethic Garnett showed McHale on that random practice day remained the same even when he was already one of the best players in the league. To this day, KG still credits McHale for helping him mature and develop as a player.
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“He was a barrel when it comes to knowledge,” Garnett once said of McHale.
“I felt like I was very fortunate to have something or someone of that caliber. He had won multiple times, he had played with great players, he understood culture and when I felt he was building in Minnesota, when I got there was aligned with what I was,” he pointed out.
KG made McHale proud
The way Garnett’s career panned out speaks volumes about how great a mentor McHale was. Even though KG was already innately hardworking and talented, it helped a lot that McHale was there to lead him to the right path.
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Sure enough, Garnett made the right decisions all throughout his career. Unlike other teenagers, Garnett grasped early on that the opportunity to play in the NBA is not for everybody. He held on to that mindset and focused on his craft.
Before long, KG became one of the best players of his time. In 2004, all the blood, sweat and tears he poured finally paid off when he was crowned as the regular season MVP.
In retrospect, Garnett knew that it wouldn’t have been possible if it hadn’t been for McHale.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.