Kevin Garnett Amused by Shirtless Superfan’s Tribute Dance

Minnesota Timberwolves Ricky Rubio, left, of Spain, and Kevin Garnett smile on the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves won 97-77. (AP Photo/Jim Mone) AP

By Braden Campbell

March 2, 2015

2 minutes to read

Fans at Kevin Garnett’s homecoming game last Wednesday were treated to two sights they won’t soon forget: the Big Ticket making his triumphant return after an eight-year hiatus, and a husky, shirtless fan dancing to Usher’s “Yeah!’’

During the “Show Us Your Moves’’ fan dancing segment, the camera fell on John Sweeney, a Minnesota fan who gained notoriety in 2003 after dancing shirtless with Garnett’s initials on his bicep. But this time, the now-49-year-old, seated beside his sons William, 11, and Michael, 9, remained seated despite their prodding.

Sweeney again declined when the camera returned to him moments later, but rises to his feet and removes his shirt to reveal the words “WELCOME HOME KG’’ when the DJ switches to Usher’s 2002 hit.

Check out the Minnesota Timberwolves’ official video of the stunt below, with footage from some of Sweeney’s early dances.

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If it wasn’t obvious from the message on his chest, ‘Jiggly Boy,’ as he became known following his dances a decade ago, confirmed to the Minneapolis Star Tribune the stunt was done in coordination with the team. According to reporter Michael Rand, the Timberwolves’ “game operations folks’’ sent him a tweet reading “KG is coming back. What about Jiggly?’’

During Sweeney’s dance, the cameras cut to the the court, where a laughing Garnett acknowledged him.

“I think if you saw a fat guy with everything off, dancing with your name on his chest, I think you would pay attention to that, or at least for five seconds,’’ Garnett told the Tribune.

It was an enjoyable moment in a raucous game, but not one Sweeney expects to repeat anytime soon.

“You don’t want too much of a good thing,’’ Sweeney said. “I think it’s really fun to see a 49-year-old fat guy dance a couple times, but there’s a tipping point where it goes from funny to ‘Sit down.’’’

h/t – Minneapolis Star Tribune, via People