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Kevin Garnett’s ‘Cancer Patient’ Comment Crosses the Line

by Chris Yuscavage Posted Nov 3rd 2010 5:05PM

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For years now, we’ve heard that Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett isn’t exactly a model citizen on the court. Despite the passionate displays of emotion that have made him one of the biggest superstars in the National Basketball Association, we’ve heard he’s got a dark side. We’ve heard he’s not the same guy that we all love.

We’ve heard he drops his fair share of F-Bombs. We’ve heard he instigates fights. We’ve heard he bullies other players. We’ve even heard fellow NBA players call him a dirty player–one of the worst labels an NBA player can get.

“I’m going to say it,” Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah said last April, shortly after a scuffle broke out during a Boston Celtics/Miami Heat playoff game that resulted in Garnett serving a one-game suspension. “He’s a dirty player. He’s always swinging elbows. I’m hurting right now because of an elbow he threw…It’s one thing to be competitive and compete and all that. But don’t be a dirty player, man. He’s a dirty player.”

Last night, Garnett proved that even that assessment might be generous. He might not just be be a dirty player. He might also be–gasp–a bad person.

It all started when the Celtics took the court to play the Detroit Pistons. According to Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva (photo above), KG engaged in a little bit of good old-fashioned trash-talking during the course of the game. Except the trash-talking was anything but “good” or “old-fashioned.” And, after the game, Villanueva broke one of the NBA’s unwritten rules by taking to his Twitter account to voice his frustration with one of the NBA’s most respected veterans.

“K.G. called me a cancer patient,” Villanueva tweeted. “I’m pissed because, u know how many people died from cancer, and he’s tossing it like it’s a joke.” Later, he added: “I wouldn’t even trip about that, but a cancer patient, I know way 2 many people who passed away from it, and I have a special place 4 those.”

A cancer patient, KG? Really?! During the same week that former NBA star Maurice Lucas lost his battle to cancer, you decided to refer to a fellow NBA player–one who suffers with a medical condition called alopecia universalis that doesn’t allow him to grow any hair–as a cancer patient?

Listen, we understand that trash-talking is a huge part of professional sports. With million of dollars on the line every year, we expect athletes to use every advantage they can to win. And if that means making fun of someone’s mama or taking a jab at someone’s girlfriend or, hell, even cracking on someone’s appearance? Well, we’d bet our bottom dollar that NBA players are doing it in order to get a W. We chalk all that up as “just part of the game.”

But, to call someone a cancer patient? That’s just low. Especially when you consider that more than 1.5 million people will find out that they have cancer this year. Or that more than 500,000 people will die as a result cancer this year. Or that…well, you get the point. You don’t need us to remind you that cancer is a problem. It’s one of the biggest killers in America. And KG just used it to try and gain an advantage in a basketball game.

Over the years, KG has done plenty of other things that could have outraged us. Just put his name into YouTube’s search engine. You’ll see him bullying fellow players, cursing up a storm, scowling on the court, throwing elbows and doing everything he can to earn the “dirty player” label that’s been bestowed upon him by a handful of fellow players. But we’ve always been willing to look past that because of the passion KG has always displayed. He’s worn his heart on his sleeve and proven time and time again that, if nothing else, he’s always been willing to do anything to win a ball game.

Unfortunately, that works against him here. He just proved that he is willing to do anything. Even if that means the wrong thing. And this time, we simply cannot make excuses for him.

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