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.fter divorcing McCullough, Shirley Garnett raised Kevin and his two siblings. She then re-married and moved the family to Mauldin, South Carolinawhen Kevin Garnett was twelve.
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 arrested. Due to the racially charged incident and fearful of being a target, Garnett decided to leave Mauldin. 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. Garnett played alongside Ronnie Fields in high school, who also followed a professional career. Garnett also excelled in soccer during his high school days.
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. After joining the NBA for the 1989–90 season, the Timberwolves had not won more than 29 games in any season.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. 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.
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. He also had two games where he registered eight blocks. 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 byHakeem 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. The contract was a risky move and many pundits 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 lead 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.
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, 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. 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. 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 centerErvin 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.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, but the Timberwolves failed to make the playoffs for the first time in eight years with a record of 44–38. The 2005–06 seasonbrought 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. 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.
Boston Celtics
Instant success (2007–present)
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. The 7-for-1 deal constitutes the largest number of players traded for a single player in league history. 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. 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.
The trade for Garnett had many experts speculating that the Celtics would have a resurgence during the 2007–08 season. 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. 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. 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. However, Garnett was unable to play due to an abdominal strain, andDetroit Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace was named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace him. East All-Star head coach Doc Rivers replaced Garnett with Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh in the starting lineup. Garnett passed 20,000 points for his career, becoming the 32nd player in NBA history to reach the mark, with a layup in the 2nd quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 8, 2008. On April 22, 2008, Garnett was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2007–08 season. It was the only major award a Celtic player had not claimed since the franchise's foundation in 1946. However, Garnett claimed it was a team effort which helped him win the award. 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. On June 18, 2008, Garnett and Ray Allen appeared on theLate Show with David Letterman, soon after winning the championship
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. 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. 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. 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 (Garnett easily outplayed Antawn Jamison throughout the series), 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.
Underestimated height
Although Garnett is officially listed as 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) by the NBA, he is widely accepted as at least seven feet tall. During the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, Garnett admitted in an interview withCraig Sager to be "6 ft 11 in and some quarters" (2.12 m) tall. Measurements from the 1995 NBA Draft show the 19 year-old Garnett measured 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) tall barefoot; any growth since then would make him at least 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m). In 1997, Garnett was measured by Minnesota Timberwolves training staff as 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) tall in his basketball shoes.
Personal life
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, and is the half brother of Louis McCullough, who played for the ABA's Syracuse Raging Bullz.
His nicknames include "The Big Ticket", "KG", "Da Kid" and formerly "The Franchise" (after being known as the Minnesota Timberwolves' franchise player).
NBA career statistics
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 |
| Career | 1124 | 1087 | 37.1 | .497 | .283 | .785 | 10.8 | 4.2 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 19.8 | |
| All-Star | 12 | 10 | 21.4 | .515 | .000 | .875 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 1.3 | .8 | 12.8 | |
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 |
| Career | 96 | 96 | 39.1 | .474 | .304 | .784 | 11.2 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 20.0 | |
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