Kevin Garnett Compares Himself To Giannis Antetokounmpo, Makes Strong NBA Claim

Kevin Garnett praises Giannis Antetokounmpo© Getty and Instagram/ Giannis_an34

The Heat haven't had the start they wanted. Giannis Antetokounmpo is putting up big numbers, but the wins aren't following. Kevin Garnett noticed. Speaking with Stephen A. Smith, the former Timberwolves great singled out the passion Antetokounmpo plays with and called it something you hardly see anymore. Antetokounmpo came up on a recent episode of the KG and Stephen A. Smith Show, and Garnett had plenty to say. Out of everyone in the league, he said, Antetokounmpo is the one who looks like a loss actually hurts.

"Giannis is the only person I see that when they lose, he looks like he's finna cry and he cares!” Garnett said. When it came to picking a player he relates to, he went straight to Antetokounmpo. “Him and Westbrook, that was me. You play all out every play. When you are gassed out, you just look like you are gassed out. When I watch Giannis and his temperature, that reminds me of me.”

Garnett admitted that playing with that kind of intensity is tough, and that it's fading. “That's a rarity in this game I'm starting to see disappear. It's too hard to be like Giannis. It's too much of an effort. You probably got to hurt yourself!”

The timing matters. Antetokounmpo has taken heat lately, first from former Bucks coach Doc Rivers and then from Kings coach Doug Christie. Garnett's take cuts the other way.

Miami Heat So Far

Four straight losses to open the 2026-27 season. Wins over the Hawks and Pacers gave Miami some breathing room, but the Lakers shut that down, and it's been up and down ever since. The Heat were 4-6 heading into the Utah game.