LONDON — Anyone who has watched Kevin Garnett play knows he is incredibly passionate about basketball.
But Garnett has taken up a second love in recent years, becoming a fan of soccer and, more specifically, Barclays Premier League powerhouse Chelsea. So Garnett was excited about the opportunity he had Tuesday when, following the Nets’ practice, he traveled to Stamford Bridge — Chelsea’s stadium — and got an inside tour of the place.
“It was overwhelming,” Garnett said before the Nets practiced Wednesday at O2 Arena ahead of Thursday’s game there against the Hawks. “For the first time in a long time, I was fan of something other than basketball, and I enjoyed the experience.
“I wish it wasn’t so media-driven. I wish I could’ve enjoyed it a little bit more. But it’s cool to be a kid again. It’s cool to have those feelings again. It’s cool to see how different sports organizations do things.”
Garnett was given a personalized Chelsea jersey and presented Chelsea players Demba Ba and Andre Schurrle with personalized Nets jerseys during his tour. The Nets star said he became a fan of Chelsea after striking up a friendship with former star striker Didier Drogba, who spent eight years with and scored 100 Premier League goals for the club before leaving after the 2011-12 season to play first in China then for Turkish power Galatasaray.
“It was a friendship in which I started with Drogba and one that has been lasting and one that I obviously chose to adopt Chelsea,” he said. “For my own personal reasons [I’ve become] a fan of the game, understanding the game, having fans that root for other teams and talking trash.”
Asked what he likes about the game, Garnett said “the footwork. The footwork in soccer is impeccable. The footwork is like no other.”
Chelsea was not the only soccer club brought up at Wednesday’s practice. Arsenal players Lukas Podolski and Lukasz Fabianski were on hand, giving team jerseys to Jason Kidd, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry.
Americans Brad Freidel, a goalkeeper for Tottenham, and Oguchi Onyewu, a defender for Sheffield United, also were in attendance. Freidel said he would attend Thursday’s game and root for the Nets because he’s a fan of Kidd going back to his playing days.
Nets assistant coach Joe Prunty was the star of a press conference yesterday to announce his remaining as head coach of Great Britain’s national team after leading the squad to a 2-3 record in Eurobasket last summer.
After joining the Nets when Kidd formed his staff, Prunty said he needed to make sure the organization approved of him leading the national team, and said he was happy the Nets have allowed him to do so.
“I’m extremely appreciative,” Prunty said. “The Nets have been unbelievable. They’ve been very supportive across the board. … I’m very thankful for that.”