Kevin Garnett, the All-Star forward for the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves has apologized for his sophomoric, military-metaphored rant the other day. His apologia, however, was an exercise in damage control and irony.
First of all, here is what Garnett said — in the context of underscoring the gravity of an upcoming playoff game against the Sacramento Kings:
“This is it. It’s for all the marbles. I’m sitting in the house loading up the pump. I’m loading up the Uzis, I’ve got a couple of nines, couple of joints with some silencers on them, couple of grenades, got a missile launcher. I’m ready for war.”
Of course it was stupidly macho and juvenile, traits that are not mutually exclusive with NBA personnel. In his apology, inspired in no small part by the Wolves’ public relations staff, Garnett specifically referenced veterans and families with loved ones serving in Iraq.
He also acknowledged this: “I was totally thinking about basketball, not reality.”
Finally, something that makes sense.