Isiah Thomas reveals story behind Kevin Garnett’s Timberwolves draft: “I wanted him to fall to us”
Isiah Thomas' stories have been incredibly fun to listen to, and he's back for more with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. The former franchise star of the Detroit Pistons shared the story behind Kevin Garnett's crazy draft process and why he wasn't able to draft him.
Thomas was back on "All The Smoke," this time with more stories of his tenure as an executive for the Toronto Raptors. From 1994 until 1998, IT took over as the executive for the Raptors after the NBA expanded all the way to Toronto. With the 1995 draft approaching, he needed to draft a young star that would fit the team, and he had his eyes set on KG.
"When I saw Kevin Garnett, first time I saw him was in South Carolina at a playground, he didn't even know I was there," Thomas said. "He was playing outside, and they had this little playground tournament. So, I snuck down there, and I'm watching this dude, between the legs, behind the back, pulling up, shooting, passing, diming and I'm like, 'That's my Raptor, too.'
"Around Garnett's draft, there was a lot of bad talk around him. 'He's not this. He's that. He's a great player, but can you trust him?' I was kinda helping that narrative, because I wanted him to fall to us, right?"
Isiah Thomas was running the newly-established @Raptors in 1995, and pinpointed a high schooler named @KevinGarnett5KG as his target pick.
Listen to Zeke as he explains how the draft went down, and how the KG ultimately went to the @Timberwolves at 5.
Part 2 w/ @isiahthomas ⬇️ https://t.co/iSSFF55NUU
Former Boston Celtics big man Kevin McHale reached out to IT to ask about KG. At the time, McHale was working as a front office executive for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"'I need you to be honest with me, tell me about this kid, Garnett. I can't get a read on him," Thomas recalled McHale saying. "I said, 'Kevin, I'm not gonna lie to you, if you don't draft him, I'm going to draft him. ... He would be great with you. ... Everything you're hearing around him is straight noise.'"
Garnett ended up with the Wolves after he was picked fifth in the first round.
Also read: "I'm thinking we all cool"- Billionaire Michael Jordan didn't even pay Isiah Thomas for The Last Dance before backstabbing him
Isiah Thomas still wants Michael Jordan to apologize to him in public
It's known around the NBA world and communities that Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan have bad blood against each other. This stems from their days as players and has reached all the way to their retirement.
After how he was depicted in MJ's "The Last Dance" documentary, Thomas is now demanding a public apology from the former Chicago Bulls star.
"You got on national television and you called me an a**hole, and then you said you hated me," Thomas said. "You said that on national television. Now, if you didn't mean it, get on national television and apologize for it."
Isiah Thomas wants a public apology from Michael Jordan
“You got on national television and you called me an a**hole, and then you said you hated me. You said that on national television. Now, if you didn't mean it, get on national television and apologize for it.”
(Via… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/JwXInPxDbc
Jordan hasn't responded yet, and it could stay the same for a long time.
Also read: Isiah Thomas responds to fan over continued Michael Jordan row - "Fighting for yourself is everlasting"