For those of you who know me, you know that there was a 1000% chance that I’d be getting this book as soon as possible and reading it immediately. There is no way around it. Due to the nature of who the author is, and the subject matter, I was going to enjoy this book so much.
I’ve read a lot of books in my time. I try to read a book a week, but I only read things that I’d care about, so a lot of them are sports books. With KG: A to Z it felt like much more than a book. It felt like KG was literally in my house having a conversation with me, and I think that’s cool as hell.
The way that this book is set up is like an encyclopedia, so each letter has plenty of stories to tell. From his relationship with Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant, to his time in Minnesota and Boston, to the hardships that he had to endure as a kid in South Carolina and Chicago. He takes you every step of the way from childhood to his post-retirement adventures. From the scrawny kid from SC to the Hall-of-Famer he is today.
I’m not going to spoil anything for those of you who would want to read it too, but KG is able to pack a lifetime of stories into about 300 pages. Basketball, business, friendship, the struggles that Black America faces, standing up for injustices. Everything that you could want in a book about an athlete is in there. If you don’t like hearing about social issues, there are parts of the book that you should skip, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Every single word of this book has a meaning and purpose. If you’ve ever seen a Kevin Garnett interview, he doesn’t mince words. He wears his heart on his sleeve; if he doesn’t mess with you, you know it. Same with this book. If he took the time to put it into publication, it’s meant to be there.
One of my favorite stories in the book has to be his relationship with the late Craig Sager. People in the NBA community know how much of an influence Sager was, either with his interview style or his outlandish dressing style. Craig was such a kind soul in his interviews, he always was looking to be fair to the players, and as KG notes in his book, that’s pretty uncommon. If you’d want to know more about Craig, I’d recommend his book Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer, and the Things Worth Fighting For. On top of that story, there’s plenty of stories about his relationship with Paul Pierce, him meeting Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, and so much more.
I don’t really know how to rate basketball or sports books, but this one is up there for me. I’m a bit biased, since KG is my favorite NBA player ever, but this is at least a 9/10 for me. If you like basketball or like KG, this is the book for you.
Round The Game 
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