NBA Summer League brings hoops, and Kevin Garnett assists with film festival

New York Times

a day ago

LAS VEGAS — If he had an unlimited budget — a Steven Spielberg-esque budget — Kevin Garnett would go in any number of directions cinematically.
'My friend, his nickname is Waterhead,' Garnett began on the phone before beginning again, perhaps contemplating what kind of project could best explain Waterhead's life. 'I would like to have a 'Narcos,' kind of — well, I watch a lot of documentaries. One of my favorite documentaries is 'The Men Who Built America.' It's five to six different people: Carnegie, Vanderbilt, names that we would know, Rockefeller. A bunch of names from yesteryear that made the jump, have made the way. …
'The second thing I would probably do is a Black 'Entourage.' I'd do a LeBron [James] comes to the league out of high school, and he has three or four friends with him, and they enter the league, like, boom. Nobody to better know that story than myself, which I find comical. You can tell some interesting tales and watch the growth of a player, a young man to a man, a player turning into the face of the league, having children himself, being a father. I just think that story is so dope to tell.
Advertisement
'And, I'd also like to do something like 'Billions.' 'Billions' was one of my favorites. Like a 'Godfather,' one of the classics. I would love to do a Black 'Godfather,' showing the origins of a Black man and his rise. Almost like if you did like a Robert Smith, kind of dissecting his whole life, and the challenges he had to go upon, going all the way back to his parents. … and you can't forget about the low-life stories, too.'
The Hall of Famer is determined to be as great in the storytelling space through his Content Kings Studios production company as he was during his 21-year NBA career — highlighted by a 2008 title with the Boston Celtics, as well as being one of only five players in league history to win both the league's Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards. (The others were Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Hakeem Olajuwon — the only player to win both in the same season.)
Garnett is now looking to give current players a chance to branch out into telling their own stories – through movies, podcasts, streaming and other entertainment options. And he'll do that this week at NBA Summer League, as part of the second annual Summer League Film Festival. Garnett is listed as a co-host for the event, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the Thomas and Mack Center, the annual co-home for Summer League games, along with the connected Cox Pavilion.
'I've lived a dope life,' Garnett said. 'I've lived a crazy life, both up and down. And I'm very humbled and very blessed to be sitting here, speaking on a lot of things, to be able to have survived a lot of things to speak on. I think a lot of young people are going to scripts. When you hear me go into storytelling or talking about something, it's because I'm trying to give some type of path to some lost m—f— or a little, young, lost m—f— that don't know their way.
'We need that. We forget that we need a script, or we need an example sometimes. It helps.'
A post shared by NBA Summer League (@nbasummerleague)
The SLFF is the latest innovation from Las Vegas Summer League co-founders Warren LeGarie and Albert Hall to make the 11-day event — already a haven for hardcore basketball fans — about more than just the games. Actor/producer Mark Wahlberg is lending his name to the festival, as well, with multiple screenings through the final day of summer league.
Advertisement
More than 30 projects will be part of this year's festival, including documentary shorts that detail, among other subjects, the circumstances and communities that raised the likes of Nikola Jokić in Serbia, Luguentz Dort in Montreal and Udonis Haslem in Miami.
Having an extra 3,000 to 5,000 people who might not come through during the second week of summer league — as most teams shut down their top prospects after the first few games — is a modest goal.
'It's also to expand the experience here,' LeGarie said. 'In order to keep it fresh, you can't just keep doing the same thing and hope that people think Febrese is enough. It isn't. You still have to bring some fresh excitement. More importantly, summer league is about storytelling. What better way to tell your story than with film? And also, it's a social media marketplace.'
Among the films that will be screened at the festival:
Garnett was one of the producers of the well-received Showtime documentary 'Goliath,' which focuses on the life of Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain. Content Kings, co-founded by Garnett, Brian Bennett and Mike Marangu, is involved with multiple productions, specializing in IP development, production and post-production services.
'Being able to connect the OGs from the past and the kids today, Kevin's that ultimate bridge,' Marangu said. 'As he always says, you're looking at it through a new lens. His OGs were Hakeem, Jordan, (Charles) Barkley. These young kids now, they can't see past the Kobe years. Just being that bridge, being that ambassador, that's not just sports, entertainment, business … it's a new wave, and he's the ultimate person who lived that and still appreciates what happened back then, and also appreciates these young kids now.
'As we were looking at the film festival opportunity, there's just so much that these kids want to do in the media space and don't know how. … There's a career path. You can be a pro at something else.'
Advertisement
Garnett had a well-received turn in front of the camera in Adam Sandler's 'Uncut Gems' in 2019, playing himself as an unwitting witness to Sandler's degenerate gambler's spiral. He estimates followers got only about '60 percent' of his actual personality during his post-playing stint hosting 'Area 21,' and his segments on TNT's 'Inside the NBA' that ran for a few seasons.
A post shared by Marcadorrd (@marcadorrd)
Garnett's not looking to become a movie star in this next stage of life. He wants to become a collaborator and conduit for other athletes looking to define themselves to the world through film and video. Putting his name with the film festival is a way of giving back to the next generation.
'Anybody and everybody that knows me knows I'm a bet on myself. I'm gonna bet on my team,' Garnett said. 'I'm not afraid to step outside of my box and do something that other people haven't tried. Just because somebody else tried it and failed doesn't mean you're going to fail. The first thing I want everybody to know is that seeing is believing. … When it's in your heart, it's in your heart. If you're in production, if you've got a vision and you want to do something for yourself, you can go out here and do it.
Garnett considers what he does 'a real business for me.' He wants to be a resource for those looking to do streaming and production. He is 'putting a flag in the ground' for those wanting to develop.
The film festival is the perfect place to showcase that talent.
'Anybody, any players that come to our festival, they can say, 'Ah, s—, Big Fella did this; I can do my version of this. I can get my story out here, that I can own and build content while I'm a rookie,'' he said. 'When I was young, I didn't really say a lot. I don't think the league and the world gave me any credit for the knowledge that I had. … There's a lot of s—- that I don't even look to take credit (for). It's part of the craft; it's part of the wave.'