Garnett

Earlier this summer, Minnesota Timberwolves star forward Kevin Garnett made a whirlwind trip to Japan. Garnett and his Minnesota teammates will participate in the 1999 NBA Japan Games, two regular season games against the Sacramento Kings, on Saturday, November 6 and Sunday November 7 at the Tokyo Dome. Here is a rundown of Kevin's activities while visiting The Land of the Rising Sun.

June 26

Kevin Garnett arrived at Tokyo Narita airport around 5:00 p.m. (Japan time) and greeted fans and TV cameras which were anticipating his arrival. He, together with his traveling party boarded the "KG Cruiser" van and did their first sightseeing in Japan on the two-hour drive into town. They enjoyed seeing one of the world's only indoor ski slopes, Tokyo Disneyland, and several unusual futuristic office buildings. Although we planned a Saturday night out on the town, Kevin's two hour nap turned into a fourteen hour slumber until the next morning. He slept very little on the 13-hour flight from Minneapolis, spending most of the time socializing with his friends and other passengers.

June 27

Kevin's first activity on Sunday was a live TV appearance on Sakuretsu Sports, a well known sports talk show. After sharing his first impressions of Japan, he dazzled the show's three hosts in a comical game of one-on-three on the set. Kevin then exchanged gifts with one of Japan's most famous singers and TV personalities, Akiko Wada, outside her dressing room. He presented her with a signed jersey and in return she autographed the back of the Timberwolves/Japan Games T-shirt he has wearing. (He proudly wore the shirt for the rest of the day). Kevin and his friends had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and took a short walking tour of the famous Roppongi section of Tokyo. He then did some window shopping in Akasaka, a section of town with many high fashion retailers.

Garnett hams it up with some fans at one of his many appearances around Japan. (Eric Weinstein/NBA Photos)

Kevin headed over to the Hiro section of town where he hosted a basketball clinic at a local international school. Kevin amazed the many Japanese teenage boys and girls with his ball handling, shooting and dunking ability, not to mention his height. The highlight of the clinic for the participants and for Kevin himself was when a Japanese high schooler stole the ball from the seven footer as he did one-on-one drills with each of the teenagers. (Kevin mentioned in his press conference the next day that he was still looking for that young guy). He ended the clinic by running up into each section of the bleachers to take pictures with as many teenagers and parents as he could. He held an interview session with reporters after the clinic and gained their immediate admiration when he displayed his knowledge of Japan's up and coming basketball star Tabuse and offered advice for young Japanese players aspiring to play basketball at the highest levels. In his free time following the clinic, KG visited Akihabara, the world famous Tokyo Electronics District and picked up a few high-tech gadgets only available in Japan. During the ride to Akihabara, KG asked for his first Japanese lesson from his interpreter and picked up several useful Japanese words.

Sunday evening Kevin attended a World Super Featherweight Championship boxing match featuring Takanori Hatakeyama, the Champion and the local favorite, and Lavka Sim, the Mongolian challenger. The champ invited Kevin to visit his locker room before the fight. Kevin was reluctant to see the boxer before the fight, knowing how important 100% concentration and focus are before competing at a high level in any sport, but he did so at the boxer's request. KG exchanged pleasantries with Hatakeyama who had seen him on Sakuretsu Sports that morning and wished him good luck. Before the match KG also did an interview with Miku Hanyu, a host of the Japanese TV show NBA Mania, the NBA's weekly highlight show bringing news and highlights to fans in Japan. KG then watched his first boxing match from his ringside seat. Unfortunately for the Japanese fans, Sim knocked out Hatakeyama in the fifth round with an unbelievable flurry of punches that left KG in awe as he left the arena. After the match, Kevin and all his friends checked out the night life in Tokyo for the first time.

June 28

Monday morning Kevin was the guest of honor at the NBA Japan Games Press conference at the Tokyo American Club. He arrived early to sign autographs and take pictures with over 30 kids ranging from 5 to 18 years old. During one of the largest basketball press conferences ever in Japan, he talked about how he got started playing basketball and what it meant to have an opportunity to play in the upcoming Japan Games against the Sacramento Kings, matching up against Chris Webber, one the NBA players he most admires. After the press conference, he stayed for two hours and did private interviews with various TV networks, magazines, newspapers, and radio stations.

Live from Japan! At the TBS studio, Kevin joins "News no Mori," already in progress. (Eric Weinstein/NBA Photos)

After relaxing for a few hours in the afternoon, he returned to the TBS studio and appeared on "News no Mori"a news program broadcast live throughout Japan. On the show, KG showcased his Japanese for the first time when he invited NBA fans to come out and see him play at the Tokyo Dome in November by saying, "Mini kitene." He then returned to the hotel and changed into some "KG classic gear"(a pinstriped suit) for his photo shoots with Number, a leading sports magazine and Mens No No, a well-known fashion magazine. He then attended and NBA Finals/End of season party with 300 guests. Kevin gave a speech, answered questions, and took pictures with everyone who asked. He spent over an hour and a half with the NBA's business partners and friends. Kevin wanted to try different types of Asian food for dinner that night, so after the party KG was the guest of NBA Japan at a typical Japanese izakaya restaurant where the chefs prepared the food while kneeling down over the grills and then served each dish individually to his seat using a 12-foot long wooden piece resembling a canoe paddle. KG tasted sake for the first time and tried Yaki-Niku as well as famous Kobe steak.

June 29

The next afternoon Kevin appeared on a famous Japanese game show called "Muscle Ranking". He played a game called "Nine Hoops" where to win one has to make at least nine of twelve shots at a labyrinth of baskets at various positions and heights. Several NBA greats have appeared on the show and challenged the incredibly difficult "Nine Hoops" demons, including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, John Starks, and Kobe Bryant. Shortly before his appearance, Kevin learned that MJ is the only one to have won the game. KG made his first six shots but still fell two baskets short in the end, coming closer to Michael's record than any other NBA player. Later that afternoon, he visited the Nike shop at Gallery Sports in Shinjuku and spent over an hour answering questions from 150 fans who had waited in line since 9 a.m. One of the questions he was asked was if he had a special sign like Larry Johnson's "L" that he makes with his forearms. Kevin crossed his wrists and responded that his sign has "X", saying it was for his signature "X dunk".

KG headed back to the hotel after taking pictures, signing autographs and receiving some very traditional and rare Japanese gifts from the store management. While at a stop light a few blocks away from the store, he looked out the window of the van to see a young Japanese fellow on his motorcycle honking to the van and making KG's X sign. KG reached out of the window and shook his hand. When the light turned green, the young guy rode away on his motorcycle with a huge smile and a lifelong memory. KG then returned to the hotel where he did a live chat on NBA.com/Japan. He discussed his interests in fashion, offered advice to a teenager who was struggling socially, and spoke of his love of the game of basketball. KG's next stop was Tokyo's trendiest area, Shibuya, where he appeared live on J-Wave radio station inside the HMV Records superstore. He talked about how he looked forward to playing in front of thousands of Japanese fans at the Tokyo Dome, shared his passion for various types of music, and reminded Japanese fans that he was still searching for that teenager who stole the ball from him at his clinic a few days before. Not discouraged by heavy rain, KG toured Shibuya after his radio appearance and picked up a few souvenirs for his friends and family back in the US. That night he hosted a small going away party at the hotel for the friends he had made during his trip, surprising his guests with his card playing and DJ skills.

June 30

The next day as Kevin was leaving the hotel, some young fans approached him asking for pictures and autographs. Even though he was rushing to the airport to make his flight, he insisted on taking time to sign autographs and take pictures with several Japanese and American fans. He returned home for a few days before heading to Orlando to join his USA Basketball teammates to begin their "Road to the Gold" in 2000. Maybe the international perspective he gained during his Japan visit contributed to his awe inspiring international playing debut in Puerto Rico.