Matt Barnes has two teenage sons playing high school basketball. However, it is his seven-year-old who has NBA legend Kevin Garnett’s attention.
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On the latest episode of KG Certified, Barnes pulled up footage of his son Ashton and opened with a bold claim.
“My seven-year-old is the biggest seven-year-old in the country. I don’t know if you guys saw the video. This motherf—-r’s 5’2″, 125 pounds, and wears a size 10 in men’s shoes,” Barnes said.
Garnett was quick to come up with a comparison, “You got a little Diesel?” referring to Shaquille O’Neal’s well-known nickname.
In the clip, the conversation moved beyond Ashton’s unusual size to his ability to move with the ball up the court and shoot. Garnett appeared particularly interested in how the youngster handled himself on the court.
Garnett Compares Barnes’ Son to Shaquille O’Neal
Ashton’s ball-handling caught KG’s attention, prompting him to ask Barnes who his son played like. Barnes said, “When Shaq used to bring the ball up full court and do that kind of s–t.”
The second grader’s size has already changed the rules for him. Barnes said Ashton isn’t allowed to dunk on the lower rims in games, so he waited until it was over.
“Now he’s not allowed to dunk in the game, they said, but he dunked after the game, bro. F—–g crazy. Goal tending, it’s crazy,” Barnes said.
The footage also prompted a discussion about the level of competition Ashton faces. Barnes explained that people have asked him why Ashton isn’t playing against older kids. Barnes said the school’s second-grade league is where he has to play for now, and that his son has gotten here without any help.
“Everyone’s like, why don’t you put him up in a different league? And I’m just like, this is second grade for the school. He has to play this but then I throw him in some other s–t because I haven’t touched him at all. This is just all s–t he’s done off his own merit,” Barnes said.
His size runs in the family. Barnes, who played 14 NBA seasons and won a title with the Warriors in 2017, is 6-foot-8. He said Ashton’s mother, model Anansa Sims, the daughter of supermodel Beverly Johnson, is 5-foot-10.
Ashton also has two older half-brothers who play, twins Carter and Isaiah, and Barnes said he plans to start training Ashton earlier than he did them.
“I’m gonna push Ash sooner because he says he wants it and he sees his brothers,” Barnes said.
As the footage continued, Garnett watched Ashton shoot, including attempts off the glass. Barnes highlighted his son’s natural enthusiasm, while Garnett encouraged him to keep enjoying the game.
“He got a happy run and everything, man. Let him go,” Garnett said.
Rather than focusing only on Ashton’s physical advantages, Garnett’s reaction also reflected his appreciation for the youngster’s enthusiasm and developing skills. At seven years old, Ashton is already drawing attention for his size and basketball ability, but Barnes’ comments made clear that the child’s interest in the game is also driving his plans for the future.