Having been born and raised in Los Angeles and then playing collegiately at Santa Clara University, most of Marlon Garnett’s early life transpired within the California state lines. Over the ensuing 25 years though, basketball took him around the world and back and the latest chapter in his story will now be as the Charlotte Hornets’ 2023 Summer League Head Coach.
“I’m just elated at the fact that Mitch Kupchak, Steve Clifford and the organization as a whole trusted me to lead these young men in this Summer League process,” said Garnett. “These next three weeks are going to be fun, just getting to know and connecting with those guys. My goal is to get them organized and represent the Hornets the best way we can.”
Garnett’s coaching career began only a couple years after his playing days attended, starting with a video and player development coordinator role in San Antonio back in 2015. From there, he served as an assistant coach in Phoenix (2016-18) and Atlanta (2018-21) before arriving in Charlotte two summers ago. Garnett has been a Summer League Head Coach once before, doing so with Phoenix in 2017.
“I’m a little more familiar now,” he explained. “I know more of what to expect having done it before. Obviously, it’s a different seat. You have an opportunity to sit in the head coach’s chair and you’re making decisions and going through the process, which has been fun. Making decisions on the travel, when we’re going to practice, all those things are interesting to me. I’m enjoying that process.”
While playing at Santa Clara, Garnett competed alongside future two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash for three years, helped the Broncos reach two NCAA Tournaments and was named the 1997 West Coast Conference Player of the Year. He played 24 games for Boston during the lockout-shortened 1999 NBA season, which kicked off a 15-year professional career that included stops in the Continental Basketball Association, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Iran, Puerto Rico and Slovakia.
“I was exposed to different cultures, different styles,” said Garnett. “I played for several different head coaches because what’s very common when you play overseas. A long-term contract would be like two or three years for a foreigner. It’s not like the four or five-year deals you get here in the NBA. You’re often changing teams every year. I got a chance to play in Eastern Europe and the coaches there are hard. You’re going to earn every penny at practice, but then you get to another place where maybe the coaches aren’t so hard. I was very fortunate to play as long as I did. You see all these different styles that help the makeup of who I am, once as a player and now as I continue to grow as an assistant coach.”
No location was more outside of the ordinary for Garnett than Iran, where he played for a pair of clubs called Zob Ahan Isfahan and Mahram Tehran between 2009-2011. Mahram Tehran is highly regarded as one of the country’s basketball powerhouses, with whom Garnett helped capture the fourth of five consecutive Iranian Basketball Super League Championships in 2011.
“I still think about it to this day,” recalled Garnett. “I look back like, ‘Wow, I was an American who actually lived in Iran.’ That experience and the people there are phenomenal. I even have friends to this day that are Iranian that from there. It was later in my career and an opportunity that came up. I got a chance to experience something not many Americans can say they have done, which is living in Iran.”
Although born in the United States, Garnett holds dual American-Belizean citizenship, as his mother, Beverly Stewart, was born in the small Central American country bordering Mexico and Guatemala. Garnett had the chance to play for Belize’s National Team on multiple occasions, which included winning a silver medal at the 2009 COCABA Tournament and helping the squad advance to the later stages of qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
“I have a lot of great memories about that experience,” he said. “It had been over 20 years since my mom had been back to Belize, so she came out and saw some games. It was a fun time to spend it with her and it was my first time seeing the land there. I know my mom and I can see it in her face all the time. She’s super proud of any accomplishment that I have. To be able to say I wore the jersey, got a chance to play and for her to watch, that brought a lot of joy to her and my resting grandmother, who passed some years back, who is Belizean as well. It just makes me feel good that I’m able to put a smile on her face representing the country.”
Many players that will be competing at Summer League in the coming weeks have followed (or will follow) a similar career trajectory as Garnett. Trying to establish a footing in the NBA while playing in the G League or overseas can be challenging and certainly something Garnett can relate to from his own personal experiences.
“It helps having traveled a lot overseas,” said Garnett, who also played at Summer League three different times with Boston, Denver and Phoenix. “We have an influx of guys who have played overseas. We have some foreign players that are in the league. There’s a certain connect-ability that does help, but it’s not the end all, be all. I think it does add a layer of help, though.”
Summer League can be a fast-paced, adjust-on-the-fly environment across the board for players, coaches, staff and everybody else involved. At the same time though, this setup provides ample opportunities for growth and development in a somewhat lower stakes type of setting. For Garnett and the team, the goal in both Sacramento and Las Vegas is simple and straightforward.
“They’re keeping score, so we’re going in there to compete,” he stated. “I want to make sure these guys are organized, we put a good product out there and the fans here in Charlotte are excited about what’s to come next season. We have a nice crop of guys that we just drafted and some current guys that will be playing in Summer League. For myself, I want to be able to look in the mirror and say I accomplished something. Maybe I’ll be another step closer to potentially becoming a head coach, whether that’s on the NBA or college level. Just continue to grow.”