By: Christina Santi

Kevin Garnett wants to continue adding to his basketball legacy. The NBA legend joins Mike Hill on “Start Your Day” to discuss being inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame and what’s in the works for the Hoop It Up basketball tournament.  

Garnett, who played 21 NBA seasons, is part of the league’s Hall of Fame Class of 2020. He says not much has changed since becoming a Hall of Famer. The Boston Celtics favorite says that being inducted was a far-out thought. Being an All-Star and NBA Champion was move realistic, so he is appreciative of his talent being recognized, especially amongst a class that included Tim Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant.  

“It can’t gets no better than Kob and Timmy,” Garnett says.  

In 2019, he acquired Hoop It Up, a grassroots 3-on-3 basketball tour with participants from across the U.S.  

The NBA Hall of Famer hopes his purchase of Hoop It Up will add to the platform’s 32-year history of bringing together communities. 

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“It’s basketball,” Garnett says. “Anybody who loves basketball understands […] it’s a dope platform. It’s been around for a long time and I started to watch it diminish.”  

3-on-3 basketball is now an Olympic Gold medal sport. Though a Hoop It Up team fell short of making it to the Olympics, the 15-time All-Star sees big things in 3-on-3’s future.  Garnett thinks it will be “competitive and just as big as 5-on-5.”  

There is also a Hoop It Up feature film in the works. 

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He sees Hoop It Up as a place for individuals who love basketball and maybe did not get a chance to showcase their talent at a collegiate level or in the NBA.  

Garnett and Hoop It Up will be participating in BNC’s Juneteenth Celebration over the weekend in Atlanta. On June 20, BNC will present live championship round coverage of the “Hoop it Up Juneteenth Jambouree,” a 3-on-3 basketball tournament from Marietta High School.  BNC’s Anthony Amey will provide play-by-play coverage of the Hoop it Up tournament and correspondent Aiyana Cristal will report from the sidelines.