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Kevin Garnett

 
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- Kevin Garnett

  • First basketball player in more than 20 years to be drafted straight from high school to the NBA
  • Nicknamed "K.G.," "Da Kid"
  • Garnett is his mother's maiden name
  • His 2003-04 NBA rebounding crown was first major individual category title in Minnesota Timberwolves' team history
  • Named Illinois' Mr. Basketball as a high school junior (1994); named USA Today's National Player of the Year (1995)
  • At 22, signed biggest sports contract in history: six years with the Timberwolves for $126 million
  • Before each game, sits next to an empty seat, head bowed, remembering Eldrick Leamon, former high school teammate, killed in an automobile accident
  • Has a tattoo of his initials, "K.G.", and another of an arm holding a basketball with the words "Blood, Sweat and Tears"
  • Won Olympic Gold (2000)

"It's like hopping out of the shower without a towel, running into a meat freezer and staying there for about 10-15 minutes, and running back out. It's chilling." – Kevin Garnett on what it's like being an All-Star

"I don't think it's fair to put 100% of the blame on Flip, that's not it. A year ago he was the All-Star coach. And now people are talking about firing him?... It's like your wife, man. You can't love her when she's got makeup on, she takes the makeup off you hate her." – Kevin Garnett on Flip Saunders

"I'm like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. If I'm not ready, the sled isn't going to go." – Kevin Garnett

"That's a lot of damn money. And a black man is making it. What a great country. Imagine if he could play." – Charles Barkley on Kevin Garnett's $125 million deal

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Kevin Garnett

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basketball player

Personal Information

Born May 19, 1976 in Mauldin, South Carolina; son of Shirley Irby.
Education: High school diploma, Chicago Farragut Academy, 1995.

Career

Professional basketball player, 1995-. Drafted fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1995 NBA Entry Draft.

Life's Work

Kevin Garnett underwent a marked change in his image over the course of his first two years in the national spotlight. When most basketball fans first heard of Garnett, he was known as the high school basketball player who was going directly into the National Basketball Association (NBA) because he couldn't qualify academically to play in college. Many NBA observers assumed he was a disaster waiting to happen, but by his second season in the league, Garnett had surprised many by becoming one of the NBA's young crop of budding stars. At 6-foot-11 he has the power and size of a center, but he also has the speed and ball-handling skills of a guard. Possibly what surprised some critics the most about Garnett in his early days in the league was that, far from being too immature to handle the spotlight, he developed a reputation as one of the league's classy young players.

Garnett was born May 19, 1976 in Mauldin, South Carolina. His mother, Shirley Irby, raised Kevin, an older sister, Sonya, and a younger sister, Ashley. The family lived in Mauldin, a quiet, middle-class bedroom community, for the first 18 years of Kevin's life. Garnett showed promise as a basketball prospect early, and attracted considerable attention from college scouts. At the end of his junior year at Mauldin High School, Garnett was named Mr. Basketball for the state of South Carolina.

The first major changes in Garnett's life came following his junior year in high school. He was involved in an incident in which he and several of his friends were accused of assaulting a white student, a touchy accusation in the racially tense town. His record was cleared after he participated in a pre-trial program for first-time offenders, but staying in the area was problematic after that. Garnett met the coach from Chicago's Farragut Academy High School at a basketball camp before his senior year, and he and his mother moved to that city so he could transfer to Farragut. The move was a dramatic one in most every way, particularly going from a quiet Southern community to a gang-infested urban environment. Garnett said he had to learn to survive in Chicago, telling Newsweek the city was "total hell--gangs, guns, crime. I had to deal with a gang leader named Seven-Gun Marcello. No fun."

The move was a successful one from a basketball standpoint, though, as Garnett averaged 25.2 points-per-game, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks in his one year at Farragut. He was named Mr. Basketball in his second state in as many years, named the USA Today's National High School Player of the Year, and was placed on the Parade Magazine All-America First Team. Following the season he played in the McDonald's All-America Game, and grabbed 11 rebounds, scored 18 points and was named the game's Most Outstanding Player. Scouts were unanimous in their opinion that Garnett was a top-notch basketball prospect.

There was one problem with the logical and traditional next step into college, however: Garnett was not a top-notch student. While several college programs wrestled with the question of whether to accept this marginal student with remarkable basketball skills, Garnett wrestled repeatedly with the ACT entrance exam. The question became moot when he failed for the fourth time to gain a score which would allow him to play basketball as a freshman, and he declared himself eligible for the NBA draft.

Garnett's move from South Carolina to Chicago had generated a bit of controversy in the basketball world, but nothing compared to his decision to jump from high school to the pros. Everyone seemed to have an opinion as to whether Garnett was ready, physically or emotionally, to make the big step. Of the three players who had previously done so, Moses Malone had unqualified success, Darryl Dawkins had some success, and Bill Willoughby had limited success. The most recent of those players had entered the league 20 years before Garnett; another player, Shawn Kemp, skipped college basketball but did attend college for a year. Many basketball people questioned whether any 19-year old was mature enough to avoid the pitfalls of the NBA's spotlight. They also thought that if he could handle the attention and forego the temptations, however, his physical assets would make him a potential superstar for years to come.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, a young franchise eager to improve their future, took the gamble and chose Garnett with the fifth pick overall in the 1995 NBA Entry Draft. They signed him to a contract for $5.6 million over three years. While it was thought Garnett had the potential to play any position, the Timberwolves decided his 6- foot-11, 220-pound frame was best suited to small forward until he filled out with a few more pounds. He took an apartment in Minnetonka, a suburb of Minneapolis, and shared it with a roommate, Bug Peters, an old friend from South Carolina. Garnett allayed fears of his getting into trouble, telling Newsweek he was basically a homebody. "I don't drink or smoke or go out much at all," he declared. "I've done all that, and it got me in trouble. I have an image to uphold. People are watching; kids are watching. I prefer staying home with Bug, playing CDs and Sega." Garnett was also largely confined to his hotel room on road trips. As teammate Sam Mitchell attested in Newsweek, "The kid's not old enough to get in anyplace where he can get into trouble."

Another place Garnett avoided trouble was on the basketball court. Not surprisingly, he didn't set the world on fire with his statistics immediately, but when his rookie season was over there was enough evidence to suggest that the Timberwolves' gamble would probably pay off. He played in the Rookie Game at the All-Star break, finishing with eight points, four rebounds, and six assists. Midway through the season he cracked the Wolves' starting lineup, and he led the squad with a 49.1 percent field goal percentage and broke a team record for blocked shots in a season with 131. He also led the team in rebounds in half the games after he became a starter, and had double digits in points and rebounds in 12 games.

As the season rolled on, Garnett attracted rave reviews from seasoned observers of the game. Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock told Sports Illustrated late in the season, "He's a special player. Earlier in the year you saw flashes of it. But he has so much more confidence now. He extends so high on his turnaround jumper and shoots so soundly, he's become very difficult to stop." Timberwolves vice president Kevin McHale told Sports Illustrated at about the same time, "What this kid has accomplished is amazing. If you put him in a college situation right now, where it's not as physical and there's zone coverage, he'd be doing things that would have people in awe."

Garnett's strong play continued into his second professional season, and so did the growth in his reputation. One national magazine included Garnett in an article about the young players in the league with strong character and respect for the game. When he was named to the NBA Western Conference All-Star Team as an injury replacement in February, he became the youngest player ever named to an all-star team. It was less than two years after he had graduated from high school, and Kevin Garnett was already a star in the NBA. People could only wonder how good he might be after his 21st birthday.

Awards

Named to NBA All-Star Team, 1997; voted NBA All-Rookie Second Team, 1996; named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today, 1995; named to Parade Magazine All-America First Team, 1995; Mr. Basketball for state of Illinois, 1995; Most Outstanding Player in 1995 McDonald's All-America Game; Mr. Basketball for state of South Carolina, 1994.

Further Reading

Sources

  • Jet, May 29, 1995, p. 50.
  • Newsweek, December 4, 1995, p. 72.
  • Sports Illustrated, June 26, 1995, p. 65; March 11, 1996, p. 61.
  • Minnesota Timberwolves 1996-97 Media Guide, p. 8.

— Mike Eggert

Wikipedia on Answers.com:

Kevin Garnett

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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Kevin Garnett
Garnett with the Celtics on January 13, 2008
No. 5   Boston Celtics
Power forward
Personal information
Date of birth May 19, 1976 (1976-05-19) (age 35)
Place of birth Greenville, South Carolina
Nationality American
High school Mauldin High School
Farragut Career Academy
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 253 lb (115 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Pro career 1995–present
Career history
1995–2007 Minnesota Timberwolves
2007–present Boston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Kevin Maurice Garnett (born May 19, 1976) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, Garnett was a 1995 McDonald's All-American at Farragut Career Academy and won a national player of the year award.[1][2] Garnett entered the 1995 NBA Draft, where he was selected with the 5th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and became the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years.

Garnett made an immediate impact with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading them to eight-consecutive playoff appearances. In 2004, Garnett led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals and was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the 2003–04 season. Since his second season in the NBA, Garnett has been named to 14 All-Star Games, winning the All-Star MVP award in 2003, and is currently tied for 3rd-most All-Star selections in NBA history.[n 1] He was awarded the regular season's NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the 2007–08 season and has been a nine-time member of the All-NBA Teams selection and a eleven-time member of the All-Defensive Teams selection.[3] Garnett currently holds several all-time Timberwolves franchise records.

After spending 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in a blockbuster trade in 2007. In his first year with the Celtics, he helped lead them to their first NBA championship since 1986.

Contents

Early life

Kevin Garnett was born in Greenville, South Carolina to Shirley Garnett and O'Lewis McCullough, and was the second of his mother's three children.[4] After divorcing McCullough, Shirley Garnett raised Kevin and his two siblings. She then re-married and moved the family to Mauldin, South Carolina when Kevin Garnett was twelve.[4]

Garnett fell in love with the sport of basketball while attending Hillcrest Middle School, although he did not play organized ball until high school. In his first three high school years, Garnett played for Mauldin High School. However, during the summer prior to his senior year of high school, Garnett was in the general vicinity of a fight between black and white students. Although not directly involved, Garnett was one of three students arrested for second-degree lynching, a charge he managed to expunge through pre-trial intervention.[5] Due to the racially charged incident and fearful of being a target, Garnett decided to leave Mauldin.[6] He transferred to Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois for his senior year of high school. He led Farragut to a 28–2 record and was named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today. He was named Mr. Basketball for the State of Illinois after averaging 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks while shooting 66.8% from the field. In four years of high school, Garnett posted an impressive 2,553 points, 1,809 rebounds and 737 blocked shots. He was named the Most Outstanding Player at the McDonald's All-American Game after registering 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots, and then declared himself eligible for the 1995 NBA Draft.[7] Garnett played alongside Ronnie Fields in high school, who also followed a professional career. Garnett also excelled in soccer during his high school days. To mark the 35th anniversary of the McDonald’s All American High School Boys Basketball Game, Garnett was honored as one of 35 Greatest McDonald's All Americans.[8]

NBA career

Minnesota Timberwolves

Early years (1995–1997)

Garnett was drafted with the fifth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft by the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves, and became the first player to be drafted directly out of high school since 1975.[9] After joining the NBA for the 1989–90 season, the Timberwolves had not won more than 29 games in any season.[10] In Garnett's rookie season, the Timberwolves were in the midst of a transition phase; they replaced Bill Blair with Flip Saunders as head coach early in the season and made several trades. Garnett initially came off the bench in his rookie year, but moved into the starting lineup soon after Saunders became head coach. In his rookie year, Garnett and fellow newcomer Tom Gugliotta carried the scoring load. Garnett did not immediately leap to stardom as later prep-to-pro prospects such as Amar'e Stoudemire, LeBron James and Dwight Howard would, but he did have a very respectable rookie year. He averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and was voted into the All-Rookie Second Team.[3] Despite having some promising players, the Timberwolves suffered through their seventh consecutive sub-30 win season and failed to make the playoffs. At the time Garnett was the youngest NBA player in history at 19 years and 11 months of age.[7]

Prior to the 1996–97 season, the Timberwolves made a draft-day trade for point guard Stephon Marbury of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. During the season Garnett posted improving averages of 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.7 steals.[3] He also had two games where he registered eight blocks.[7] With a 40–42 record, the Timberwolves made their first playoff appearance in franchise history, Garnett and Gugliotta made their first All-Star appearances, and Marbury established himself as a valuable young lead guard. However, the Houston Rockets, led by Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and Charles Barkley proved to be too much as the Timberwolves were swept 3–0 in the first round of the 1997 NBA Playoffs.

Franchise player (1997–2001)

During the 1997–98 NBA season, the Timberwolves and Garnett agreed on a six-year contract extension that was worth an unparalleled $126 million.[7] The contract was a risky move and many pundits[who?] speculated that the deal would make it impossible for the Wolves to sign new players or even keep their own. The enormous size of Garnett's contract was considered, by numerous sports writers, a major cause of labor tensions between players and owners that led to a lockout which shortened the 1998–99 NBA season. Despite the furor over his new contract, Garnett continued to improve, averaging 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game. Again, he was an All-Star, and the Timberwolves finished with their first winning record in franchise history (45–37 for the season). For the second consecutive year the young Timberwolves bowed out of the playoffs in the first round, this time losing 2–3 against the Seattle SuperSonics and superstar point guard Gary Payton. The two wins against the Sonics marked the Wolves' first-ever playoff game wins. The off-season started poorly for the Timberwolves though as 20-point per game scorer Tom Gugliotta left for the Phoenix Suns.

Garnett as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In the lockout-shortened season that followed, Garnett broke through as a superstar. Putting up stats of 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 blocks per game,[3] he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. However, midway through the season Stephon Marbury was traded to the New Jersey Nets. Although the Wolves received two-time All-Star Terrell Brandon in return, they were not able to overcome the discord and limped into the playoffs as the 8th seed with a 25–25 record. The Wolves were defeated in the first round again, this time losing 1–3 to the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs who were led by young superstar and eventual NBA Finals MVP Tim Duncan. In the next season, Garnett continued his notable play, averaging 22.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game and made the first of his four All-NBA First Team appearances.[3] Assisted by sharpshooting rookie forward Wally Szczerbiak and steady veteran Brandon, the Wolves posted a franchise-best 50–32 record, but succumbed in the first round to the Portland Trail Blazers 3–1.

In the 1999–2000 NBA season, Timberwolves' guard Malik Sealy was killed by a drunk driver and the NBA ruled that the free agent signing of Joe Smith was illegal. The NBA punished the team for the illegal signing by stripping the team of three first-round draft picks, fining Glen Taylor (the owner of the team) $3.5 million, and banning general manager Kevin McHale for one year. Garnett led the Wolves to a 47–35 record and made the All-NBA Second Team, but again, the Wolves did not survive the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Spurs 3–1.

MVP and division champions (2001–2004)

In the 2001–02 season, Garnett posted another notable season, his averages of 21.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game enough for another All-NBA Second Team nomination. However, the Timberwolves bowed out in the first round for the sixth consecutive time, this time getting swept 3–0 by the Dallas Mavericks led by Michael Finley, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki. Garnett's next season was one of the best of his career, his 23.0 ppg / 13.0 rpg / 6.0 apg / 1.6 bpg / 1.4 spg season earning him his second All-NBA First Team nomination and second place in the MVP voting.[7] The Timberwolves posted a good 51–31 record, but for the seventh consecutive time, they did not make it out of the first round, this time losing to the Los Angeles Lakers, 4 games to 2.

In the 2003–04 season, things finally seemed to come together for Garnett. In past years, the Wolves had practically been a one-man show, but now, the Timberwolves had made two valuable acquisitions: highly talented but volatile swingman Latrell Sprewell and the seasoned two-time NBA champion Sam Cassell, who supplanted Troy Hudson at point guard. In addition, defensive center Ervin Johnson complemented the inconsistent Michael Olowokandi. Powered by the best supporting cast in his career, Garnett averaged 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals per game for the season. Having recorded career highs in points, rebounds, blocks and leading the league rebounds, Garnett was named the league Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career.[3] With a franchise-record 58 wins, the Wolves stormed into the playoffs, and finally vanquished their playoff bane by defeating the Denver Nuggets 4–1 in the first round. After disposing of the strong Sacramento Kings 4–3 in the Western Conference Semifinals, Garnett and the Timberwolves met the Lakers. Against the Lakers, playmaker Cassell went down with a back injury. With reserve point guard Hudson also injured, the Timberwolves alternated between third playmaker Darrick Martin and shooting guard Fred Hoiberg at the "one", or even running Garnett himself as point forward or a real point guard. The Los Angeles Lakers pulled off a 4–2 victory in the series.

Frustration (2004–2007)

In the 2004–05 season, Garnett was named to the All-NBA Second Team,[3] but the Timberwolves failed to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years with a record of 44–38. The 2005–06 season brought more frustration for Garnett. Sprewell turned down a 3-year $21 million dollar extension, and the Wolves wary of his injuries and age, traded Cassell for the much less effective Marko Jaric, and the team record for '05–'06 fell to 33–49. Despite Garnett's play, the team logged the second worst record since Garnett joined the franchise. On 10 May 2007 Garnett was named to the All-NBA Third Team.

During the 2007 off-season, Taylor admitted that although he had planned on retaining Garnett, he would finally listen to trade offers.[11] Garnett's name was mentioned in various trade rumors involving the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks.[12][13][14][15][16]

Boston Celtics

Instant success (2007–present)

Garnett in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Playoffs against the Atlanta Hawks.

On July 31, 2007, Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash considerations, Boston's 2009 first-round draft pick (top 3 protected) and the 2009 first-round pick Minnesota had traded to Boston in the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade of 2006.[17] The 7-for-1 deal constitutes the largest number of players traded for a single player in league history.[18] At the time of the trade, Garnett had the longest current tenure of any player in the NBA with one team, having played for the Timberwolves for his first 12 seasons (a total of 927 games). Garnett said that he was proud to be a part of the Celtics, and hoped to continue its proud tradition and basketball success.[19][20][21] On the day the trade was announced, Garnett signed a three-year $60 million contract extension that would start after his prior deal ran out in 2009. On August 1, 2007 the day after signing his Celtics contract, Garnett threw the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park prior to a Red Sox-Orioles game. Garnett has claimed to be a long-time Red Sox fan.[22]

Garnett dunking a ball in a game against the Washington Wizards

The trade for Garnett had many experts speculating that the Celtics would have a resurgence during the 2007–08 season.[23] The combination of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Garnett were almost automatically nicknamed "The Big Three" by the media, after the Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parish trio.[24] Garnett wore jersey number 5 for the Celtics since his number with the Timberwolves, number 21, was retired by the Celtics, previously worn by Bill Sharman. He made his Boston debut with a strong performance against the Washington Wizards, with 22 points and 20 rebounds.[25] He also led all players in voting for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Garnett received 2,399,148 votes, the sixth highest total in NBA All-Star balloting history.[26] However, Garnett was unable to play due to an abdominal strain, and Detroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace was named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace him.[27][28] East All-Star head coach Doc Rivers replaced Garnett with Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh in the starting lineup.[29] Garnett passed 20,000 points for his career, becoming the 32nd player in NBA history to reach the mark,[30] with a layup in the 2nd quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 8, 2008.[31] On April 22, 2008, Garnett was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007–08 season.[32][33] It was the only major award a Celtic player had not claimed since the franchise's foundation in 1946.[34] However, Garnett claimed it was a team effort which helped him win the award.[35] Garnett was also third in MVP voting for the year, behind only Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul.[36] Garnett helped the Celtics to their 17th NBA Championship, with 26 points and 14 rebounds in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. During that championship season, Garnett and Celtics legend Bill Russell had heart to heart conversations together which were captured on television.[37] On June 18, 2008, Garnett and Ray Allen appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, soon after winning the championship.[38]

In the 2008–09 season, Garnett started all of the 57 games he was able to suit up for. He averaged 15.8 points 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. On October 31, 2008, Garnett became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career games, at 32 years and 165 days.[39][40] Garnett earned his twelfth consecutive All-Star Game start on February 15, 2009. Following the All-Star Game, during a game against the Utah Jazz, Garnett strained his right knee late in the second quarter. The injury occurred on February 19, 2009, while attempting to go up for an alley-oop.[41] He was forced to miss the next 14 games. Upon his return from the injury, he averaged 9 points and 4.5 rebounds in four games before being shut down for the season permanently, missing the final 25 games of the regular season including the 2009 NBA playoffs due to a right knee sprain.[42] The Celtics would advance to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals that year, only to be eliminated by the Orlando Magic.

In the 2009–2010 season, Garnett and the Celtics, joined by newly signed free agent Rasheed Wallace, struggled with injuries and inconsistency throughout much of the regular season and earned the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Garnett was selected to play in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game (his 13th All-Star Game selection). Despite being written off by nearly every major sports analyst, the Celtics elevated their play and consistently dominated opponents much as they did during their 2008 Championship run. They eliminated the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Orlando Magic to advance to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2010 NBA Finals. The 2010 Finals went to a decisive seventh game in Los Angeles, where the Celtics led well into the third quarter before the Lakers mounted a comeback and held on for the victory.[43]

International career

In the 2000 Summer Olympics, he won a gold medal as a member of the USA men's national basketball team. He declined to play in the 2004 Olympics.[44]

Underestimated height

Although Garnett is officially listed as 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) by the NBA, he is widely accepted to be at least 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) tall.[45][46] During the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, Garnett admitted in an interview with Craig Sager to be "6 ft 11 in and some quarters" (2.12 m) tall.[47] Measurements from the 1995 NBA Draft show the 19 year-old Garnett measured 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) tall barefoot.[48] In 1997, Garnett was measured by Minnesota Timberwolves training staff as 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall in his basketball shoes.[49]

Personal life

In July 2004 Garnett married his longtime girlfriend Brandi Padilla during a private ceremony in California. The wedding was the reason he did not take part in the Athens 2004 Olympic games. Garnett is a cousin to former Los Angeles Lakers player Shammond Williams,[50] and is the half brother of Louis McCullough, who played for the ABA's Syracuse Raging Bullz. Brandi's older sister Lisa is married to super producer Jimmy Jam. Their daughter Capri was born Friday 18 April 2008.[51][52]

His nicknames include "The Big Ticket", "KG", "Da Kid" and formerly "The Franchise" (after being known as the Minnesota Timberwolves' franchise player).[7]

In December 2011, Garnett agreed to become a limited shareholder of American-owned Italian Serie A soccer team A.S. Roma.[53]

NBA career statistics

† NBA Championship
Led the league
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1995–96 Minnesota 80 43 28.7 .491 .286 .705 6.3 1.8 1.1 1.6 10.4
1996–97 Minnesota 77 77 38.9 .499 .286 .754 8.0 3.1 1.4 2.1 17.0
1997–98 Minnesota 82 82 39.3 .491 .188 .738 9.6 4.2 1.7 1.8 18.5
1998–99 Minnesota 47 47 37.9 .460 .286 .704 10.4 4.3 1.7 1.8 20.8
1999–2000 Minnesota 81 81 40.0 .497 .370 .765 11.8 5.0 1.5 1.6 22.9
2000–01 Minnesota 81 81 39.5 .477 .288 .764 11.4 5.0 1.4 1.8 22.0
2001–02 Minnesota 81 81 39.2 .470 .319 .801 12.1 5.2 1.2 1.6 21.2
2002–03 Minnesota 82 82 40.5 .502 .282 .751 13.4 6.0 1.4 1.6 23.0
2003–04 Minnesota 82 82 39.4 .499 .256 .791 13.9 5.0 1.5 2.2 24.2
2004–05 Minnesota 82 82 38.1 .502 .240 .811 13.5 5.7 1.5 1.4 22.2
2005–06 Minnesota 76 76 38.9 .526 .267 .810 12.7 4.1 1.4 1.4 21.8
2006–07 Minnesota 76 76 39.4 .476 .214 .835 12.8 4.1 1.2 1.7 22.4
2007–08† Boston 71 71 32.8 .539 .000 .801 9.2 3.4 1.4 1.2 18.8
2008–09 Boston 57 57 31.1 .531 .250 .841 8.5 2.5 1.1 1.2 15.8
2009–10 Boston 69 69 29.9 .521 .200 .837 7.3 2.7 1.0 .8 14.3
2010–11 Boston 71 71 31.3 .528 .200 .862 8.9 2.4 1.3 .8 14.9
Career 1195 1158 36.7 .498 .282 .788 10.7 4.1 1.4 1.6 19.5
All-Star 13 10 21.6 .518 .000 .875 6.5 3.0 1.2 .8 12.2

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1997 Minnesota 3 3 41.7 .471 1.000 1.000 9.3 3.7 1.3 1.0 17.3
1998 Minnesota 5 5 38.8 .480 .000 .778 9.6 4.0 .8 2.4 15.8
1999 Minnesota 4 4 42.5 .443 .000 .739 12.0 3.8 1.8 2.0 21.8
2000 Minnesota 4 4 42.8 .385 .667 .813 10.8 8.8 1.2 .8 18.8
2001 Minnesota 4 4 41.3 .466 .000 .833 12.0 4.3 1.0 1.5 21.0
2002 Minnesota 3 3 43.3 .429 .500 .719 18.7 5.0 1.7 1.7 24.0
2003 Minnesota 6 6 44.2 .514 .333 .607 15.7 5.2 1.7 1.7 27.0
2004 Minnesota 18 18 43.5 .452 .313 .776 14.6 5.1 1.3 2.3 24.3
2008† Boston 26 26 38.0 .495 .250 .810 10.5 3.3 1.4 1.1 20.4
2010 Boston 23 23 33.3 .495 .000 .839 7.4 2.5 1.1 .9 15.0
2011 Boston 9 9 36.3 .441 .000 .759 10.9 2.6 1.9 1.0 14.9
Career 105 105 38.9 .472 .298 .782 11.1 3.8 1.3 1.4 19.6

Achievements

Garnett holds the Larry O'Brien Trophy at the championship parade of the 2008 NBA Champions Boston Celtics.
Main article: List of career achievements by Kevin Garnett

During his time in the league Garnett has established a long list of achievements, including:[3]

  • First Team: 2000, 2003, 2004, 2008
  • Second Team: 2001, 2002, 2005
  • Third Team: 1999, 2007
  • 11-time All-Defensive:
  • First Team: 2000—2005, 2008—2009, 2011
  • Second Team: 2006, 2007
  • Second team: 1996
  • J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award: 2006
  • Ranked #30 in SLAM Magazine's 2009 revision of the top 50 greatest players of all time (published in the August 2009 issue)[54]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Garnett's 14 All-Star selections are tied for 3rd-most with Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and Jerry West, and trail Shaquille O'Neal (15 selections) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19 selections). See List of NBA All-Stars.

References

  1. ^ "Before they were stars: Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett". ESPN. 2010-06-08. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2010/columns/story?page=beforetheywerestars-garnett-100608. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
  2. ^ "Wilkins Honored as One of 35 Greatest McDonald's All Americans". NBA. 2012-01-31. http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/wilkins-honored-one-35-greatest-mcdonalds-all-americans. Retrieved 2012-02-09. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Kevin Garnett Statistics - Basketball-Reference.com". Basketball-reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/garneke01.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  4. ^ a b Frank Sinton, Steven Michaels (executive producers) (2003). Beyond the Glory (Television production). Fox Sports Network. 
  5. ^ Beyond the Glory - Kevin Garnett part 4
  6. ^ "JockBio: Kevin Garnett Biography". Jockbio.com. http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Garnett/Garnett_bio.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  7. ^ a b c d e f "NBA.com : Kevin Garnett Bio Page". Nba.com. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/kevin_garnett/bio.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. [dead link]
  8. ^ http://www.nba.com/hawks/news/wilkins-honored-one-35-greatest-mcdonalds-all-americans
  9. ^ "From preps to the pros: High school senior Garnett enters NBA draft". Star News Services. May 12, 2005. Retrieved on February 22, 2009.
  10. ^ "Minnesota Timberwolves (1989 – ) Stats, History, Awards and More". Databasebasketball.com. http://www.databasebasketball.com/teams/teampage.htm?tm=min&lg=n. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  11. ^ Sid Hartman, Star Tribune (Last update: June 25, 2007 – 5:35 PM). "Sid Hartman, June 21: KG traded? Taylor says don't bet on it". Startribune.com. http://www.startribune.com/507/story/1261571.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  12. ^ [1][dead link]
  13. ^ "RealGM: Wiretap Archives: Phoenix, Atlanta, Minnesota Three-Way Close?". Realgm.com. June 27, 2007<!- – 3:53 PM EST -->. http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/46747/20070627/phoenix_atlanta_minnesota_three_way_close/. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  14. ^ [2][dead link]
  15. ^ Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune (Last update: June 19, 2007 – 9:59 PM). "Celtics' Ainge discusses Garnett deal with Wolves". Startribune.com. http://www.startribune.com/511/story/1256570.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  16. ^ "Kawakami: Warriors: Will Wright move lead to Garnett?". San Jose Mercury News. http://www.mercurynews.com/timkawakami/ci_6259427. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
  17. ^ "Celtics Acquire 10-Time All-Star Kevin Garnett | Celtics.com". Nba.com. http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/press073107-garnett.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  18. ^ Celtics obtain former MVP in 7-for-1 deal July 31, 2007
  19. ^ "Sources: Celtics, Wolves closing in on KG trade". http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2954127. 
  20. ^ "Celtics to get Wolves' Garnett, sources say". http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20029788/. 
  21. ^ "Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves agree to send Garnett to Boston". http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/basketball/nba/wires/07/30/2030.ap.bkn.celtics.garnett.trade.0159/. [dead link]
  22. ^ "Garnett makes a splash at Fenway". http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070801&content_id=2123890&vkey=news_bos&fext=.jsp&c_id=bos. 
  23. ^ "Reaction to the Celtics Acquiring Kevin Garnett". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/news/kgarnett_traded_celtics.html. Retrieved May 15, 2010. 
  24. ^ "Allen, Garnett, Pierce continue Big 3 tradition". commercialappeal.com. http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/oct/15/allen-garnett-pierce-continue-big-3-tradition/. Retrieved May 15, 2010. 
  25. ^ Associated Press. (November 2, 2007). "Washington Wizards vs. Boston Celtics Recap". ESPN. Retrieved on 2009-07-18.
  26. ^ Boston's Kevin Garnett Top Vote-Getter Among All-Stars, NBA.com, January 24, 2008.
  27. ^ Garnett out of All-Star Game, Wallace in, Boston Herald, February 10, 2008.
  28. ^ Steve Bulpett, No 'Big Ticket' for an All-Star event, Boston Herald, February 11, 2008.
  29. ^ Marc J. Spears, Rondo will have to pay up, The Boston Globe, February 16, 2008.
  30. ^ Kevin Garnett Reaches 20,000-Point Plateau, NBA.com, March 8, 2008.
  31. ^ Steve Bulpett, C's go extra milestone – Numbers come up for Garnett, Allen, Boston Herald, March 9, 2008.
  32. ^ Kevin Garnett Wins Kia Defensive Player of the Year, NBA.com, April 22, 2008.
  33. ^ Kevin Garnett Wins NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Celtics.com, April 22, 2008.
  34. ^ Marc J. Spears, Garnett wins NBA defensive player award, The Boston Globe, April 22, 2008.
  35. ^ Couper Moorhead, KG Calls Defensive Player of the Year Award a "Team Effort", Celtics.com, April 22, 2008.
  36. ^ "Kobe Bryant Wins Most Valuable Player Award". nba.com. May 30, 2011
  37. ^ "Bill Russell and Kevin Garnett: March 6, 2008". nba.com. http://www.nba.com/russellkg_gallery/080305_1.html. Retrieved May 15, 2010. 
  38. ^ "Garnett, Allen Appear On Letterman". wbztv.com. http://wbztv.com/local/Boston.Celtics.David.2.751236.html. Retrieved May 15, 2010. [dead link]
  39. ^ Garnett becomes youngest to reach 1,000 games, leads Celtics past Bulls, Associated Press, October 31, 2008.
  40. ^ Frank Dell'Apa, Rondo's deal is extended, The Boston Globe, November 1, 2008.
  41. ^ Associated Press (February 19, 2009). "Boston Celtics vs. Utah Jazz Recap". ESPN. Retrieved on 2009-07-15.
  42. ^ Spears, Marc J. (May 18, 2009). "Comfortable with the long-term picture". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2009/05/18/comfortable_with_the_long_term_picture/. 
  43. ^ Beacham, Greg (2010-06-18). "Lakers edge Celtics in Game 7, win 16th title". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/recap?gid=2010061713. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
  44. ^ Marc Stein Team USA carousel continues, ESPN, April 29, 2004.
  45. ^ Peter Stringer, Postgame Wrap Up – KG or K9?, Celtics.com, March 28, 2008.
  46. ^ Shira Springer, Garnett deal in place, The Boston Globe, July 30, 2007.
  47. ^ Kevin Garnett Craig Sager Interview 2007 All Star Game, YouTube
  48. ^ "Pre Draft Measurements". DraftExpress. http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-draft-measurements/?year=1998&sort2=ASC&draft=100&sort=. Retrieved 2010-12-29. 
  49. ^ "Missed Workouts Put Garnett 'A Little Behind'", St. Paul Pioneer Press, October 3, 1997. Page 7E.
  50. ^ "NBA.com : Shammond Williams Bio Page". Nba.com. http://www.nba.com/playerfile/shammond_williams/bio.html. Retrieved 2008-10-27. 
  51. ^ http://celebritybabies.people.com/2008/04/20/kevin-garnett/
  52. ^ http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view.bg?articleid=1088359&srvc=sports&position=recent
  53. ^ , 30 December 2011, http://espn.go.com/boston/nba/story/_/id/7403380/boston-celtics-kevin-garnett-buy-limited-share-roma 
  54. ^ "The New Top 50". SLAM Magazine. http://www.slamonline.com/online/the-magazine/features/2009/06/the-new-top-50/. Retrieved June 22, 2009. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kevin Garnett


0 Bradley | 4 Daniels | 5 Garnett | 7 O'Neal | 9 Rondo | 11 Pavlović | 12 Johnson | 20 Allen | 28 Piétrus | 30 Bass | 34 Pierce | 44 Wilcox | 51 Dooling | 54 Stiemsma | 55 Moore

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