Kevin Garnett calls Charlie Villanueva a “Cancer Patient”
Quick Facts:
- Charlie Villanueva was drafted in the first round as the 7th pick by the Toronto Raptors in 2005
- Charlie Villanueva has Alopecia Areata not cancer
- It isn’t the first time Kevin Garnett (aka KG) has crossed the line with comments or trash talk
The Boston Celtics were playing the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010. The Celtics won by a score of 109-86, seeing how Detroit hasn’t been doing all that well the past few years and how the Celtics are a force, it’s no big surprise that the Celtics won. A regular game if you look at the score sheet and probably even if you were at the game.
Then there was the tweet by the Piston’s Charlie Villanueva that KG had called him a “cancer patient.” I think most of us, myself included, have lost someone in their family or close to them from cancer and we all know how painful it is to go through this experience. It’s even more painful for those that have to deal with cancer itself and the last thing you need is some guy that’s a little umm…what’s a good word…overconfident to be calling people in the NBA cancer patients.
Trash talk is a part of the game. You see it in most sports and it can often lead to a more enjoyable experience for the fans to see the intensity that players bring. But there’s a fine line between trash talk and irreversible attacks that are damaging on a personal level and can hurt the general public. What KG did on Tuesday night was cross this line, and it will most likely hurt him for the rest of his career.
It’s honestly a shame, I’ve always liked KG. Being 7 feet tall and hitting the 20-foot jumper consistently. He brings an awesome attitude for his team, working really hard and pumping up his teammates. He’s a former MVP and a former NBA champion, and before coming to Boston from the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was considered one of the best players without a championship ring.
KG has since released a statement denying that he said “cancer patient.” Instead, he claims that he said to Villanueva, “your cancerous to your team and our league.” I’d have to agree with Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowki in his article, that it’s hard to believe KG actually said something like that. Even if that was what he said, it’s pretty sad. I’ve lost respect for KG and will have to think twice about routing for Boston for some time to come. Boston is a great city, but its amazing how one person or one comment can really damage a team.
Kevin Garnett photo by themikelee on Flickr.
