It’s been a year of reflection for NBA legend Kevin Garnett. In May, the former MVP and Defensive Player of the Year was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and in October he made the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Garnett’s reflection continues Friday with the release of “Anything is Possible,” a Showtime documentary covering his rise from a nondescript South Carolina town to Springfield.
Arriving at this point wasn’t easy for Garnett, who describes himself as a “very shy person” who prefers not to talk about himself. But the filmmaking process was absolutely essential to his personal development. Garnett delves into everything from his move from Mauldin to Chicago, his then-controversial decision to enter the NBA from high school, his precedent-setting contract negotiations with the Minnesota Timberwolves and more in “Anything is Possible.”
Returning to those pivotal life moments served as “therapy” to the 2008 NBA Champion.
“This felt like actually going back, speaking on those things, having the confidence to speak on those things to activate and inspire others,” Garnett told CBS Sports on Tuesday. “That’s how I looked at this project. I probably wouldn’t have done this five to maybe seven years ago just because of where I was in life and me being comfortable with everything. I felt like this was perfect timing just where we are in the world with everything. I think the world could use a little bit of inspiration. I think my story is just that, and I hope that they find confidence and some solutions out of my story. I feel a lot more confident in telling my story.
“This was definitely therapy. Definitely.”
Garnett was only going to make a documentary like “Anything is Possible” if he got to control the narrative, and Showtime gave him that exact opportunity — like it has with numerous other basketball stars. “Anything is Possible” joins player-driven documentaries on Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Ron Artest and Ben Simmons under the Showtime Basketball vertical.
But Garnett, staying true to the film’s name and his famous words after the Boston Celtics’ 2008 NBA Finals win, isn’t stopping with “Anything is Possible.” The 45-year-old said his partnership with Showtime is “perfect” and plans to create “many” more films with the company going forward.
“Content speaks to me,” said Garnett, who previously hosted the basketball show “Area 21” on TNT. “It’s a passion. It wakes me up. It gets me out of bed. I’m chasing this like I was chasing the hoop dream. Having dope partners like Showtime that believe in what I’m doing and the vision that I think aligns with what they’re doing in growing their company.”
“What gets me out of bed now is how many projects are out here,” he added, “how many dope stories that are not being told or haven’t been told yet that I’m looking forward to shedding some light on.”
The NBA shed light on Garnett’s dominant basketball career earlier this year by naming him to its 75th Anniversary team. It’s an honor Garnett is “very gracious” for even while he’s moving into his new passion for content creation.
“It knocked me out of my chair, if I’m being honest,” said Garnett, who spent his 21 NBA seasons with the Timberwolves, Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. “Nothing’s promised in this world. A lot of dope people were left off that list. A lot of dope people that actually shaped the history of basketball, so you don’t know how the voting is going to go, and who’s voting and that whole process. To be part of that, I’m super astonished, I’m very humbled, I’m very gracious to be considered. Lord knows I put the work in. Lord knows I’ve been two feet in this thing since I said I wanted to play basketball, so I’m very gracious. I’m very gracious to the game of basketball and to the NBA for the opportunities.”
