Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury were supposed to be one of the greatest big man, little man duos in history. They were expected to turn out like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Stockton, and Karl Malone.
Analysts expected them to turn the Minnesota Timberwolves into a legendary franchise.
KG and Starbury contract disputes
The Wolves front office knew this and so they offered Garnett a massive $126 million deal in 1998. The contract was so big that it reportedly triggered the 1999 NBA lockout. As such, the most they offered Marbury was a $70.9 million extension, which was still good money but was not enough for the point guard.
Boston Celtics legend Kevin McHale, then the Wolves’ vice president of basketball operations, claimed Marbury was bothered by the significant disparity in their contracts. He wanted to leave Minnesota and flock to a team that prioritized him.
“He said the kind of money that K. G. makes is really bothersome for him and that the town was not big enough for both of them,” McHale said. “He unequivocally said he would not come back.”
McHale’s statement caught Marbury off guard. He had just spoken to Wolves owner Glen Taylor and revealed they had a great conversation. Stephon claimed Taylor welcomed his decision not to re-sign. All hell broke loose when McHale pulled the curtains behind the fallout.
Marbury was painted in a bad light and forever regarded as an egotistical star. For a chunk of his career, the point guard relentlessly defended himself. He has stuck to his claims that money didn’t play a role in his departure from Minnesota.
“I’ve been defending myself since I left Minnesota,” Marbury said in 20077, via the New York Times. “Because I didn’t comply to what they wanted, then it was like: ‘Oh, I’m selfish. I’m this. I’m that.’ I’m like: ‘How can that be? You were just about to give me $71 million! Who gives someone $71 million and they’re selfish and they’re jealous of Kevin Garnett and all of this stupid stuff?’ It’s a joke.”
Not the end of the world
The KG-Marbury breakup is one of the biggest what-ifs in NBA history. Legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Reggie Miller claim the Wolves would’ve been a serious contender for years if Marbury stayed with Garnett. Shaq admitted the Wolves were a difficult matchup with two on the floor. This spoke volumes since KG and Marbury were still pretty raw when O’Neal faced the duo.
Despite all the drama surrounding their breakup, Marbury claimed it was never as complicated as the media made it appear. It was just a simple disagreement between preference and priorities.
“It ain’t as complex as it seems,” Marbury once explained. “I know we been yapping in the papers and in the public and in the media, but him and I, we have a history, and that something you can’t ever take. If we decide to build off that or just letting back or anything, that’s on us.”
Whether it was money or something else, NBA fans missed out on a lot of exciting basketball when the Marbury-Garnett era ended. The two possessed a seamless chemistry and were on the verge of being a legendary tandem. All we can do now is just fantasize about what could’ve been if the two had continued to don the Wolves jersey.