Marbury and Garnett Circa 1998: "All Nude" and Two Careers that Went in Opposite Directions

How ’bout a Friday sendoff from the way-back machine? This is forever a classic but even more entertaining, ironic, amusing, sad and interesting looking back at it from a decade’s distance.

It’s funny in the sense that Stephon is talking (even though in jest) about “being tasteful.” This is the same Steph who is now tatted-up and down, banging interns in the back of his car and has generally quit on the poor-excuse-for-a-team of which he is still a roster member (for now). It’s also funny in that not much has changed. Starbury appears about as stoned to the bejesus belt in this ESPN Magazine clip as he was in the now infamous interview with Bruce Beck.

What has been different is the diverging paths of these two budding superstars who once seemed poised to lead a franchise into the NBA’s upper echelon for a long and continuous stretch. Instead, Starbury now carries the label of a prodigious talent who’s underperformed, bounced around and been a general malcontent wherever he’s gone. Oh yeah, and he’s never done anything in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, KG is currently the leading vote-getter for the NBA All-Star game, widely lauded as a warrior for a Timberwolves team that went to the playoffs for nearly a decade straight (largely on his shoulders) and now, potentially, as “the piece” that helped orchestrate the greatest single season turn around in NBA history in Beantown.

1998 seems a long, long time ago, indeed. Plus, this commercial launched ESPN the Magazine, which makes us feel pretty old. We’re down with the “all nude” thing, though.