Happy 49th Birthday, Kevin Garnett

Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler, 2004 NBAE.

An NBA legend celebrates a birthday on May 19 as Kevin Garnett turns 49. 

Born in Greenville, SC, Garnett started his high school career at Mauldin High in Mauldin, SC., playing for local legend James “Duke” Fisher. After a school yard incident at Mauldin, Garnett moved to Chicago, where he starred at Farragut Academy alongside guard Ronnie Fields for William “Wolf” Nelson. At Farragut, Garnett was a Chicago Public League Red West Division Champion in 1995 and led the Admirals (28-2) to the Illinois High School Association quarterfinal in 1995. As a senior, Garnett averaged 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 6.5 blocks while being named National High School Player of the Year (USA Today) and Illinois Mr. Basketball. He was the headliner of a ‘95 High School class that included Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Ron Mercer, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Chauncey Billups, and Stephon Marbury. 

In the 1995 NBA Draft, held in Toronto, Garnett was chosen fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, a six-year old franchise that had won 21 games the season prior. Garnett joined fellow young talents Isaiah Rider and Tom Gugliotta and was mentored by future NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell. 

In his first NBA game against the Sacramento Kings, Garnett was 4-for-4 shooting for 8 points in 16 minutes, playing the small forward position, which he did for his first couple seasons, a nod to his versatility at 6 foot, 11 inches. Garnett saw increased playing time in his first season, and scored in double-digits 41 times. On March 27, 1996, he recorded a season-high 33 points with 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks on 14-for-21 shooting in 43 minutes against the Boston Celtics. He ended his rookie campaign with 80 games played and averages of 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 49.1% shooting (9 attempts) in 28.7 minutes per game (43 starts). 

In his second season, Garnett was an all-star, averaging 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 blocks with his shots increased to 14 per night and minutes to 38.9. The Wolves made the playoffs, losing in three games to the Houston Rockets. It was in his second season that Garnett was joined in Minnesota by Marbury, his high school ‘95 classmate, and the pair formed an electric one-two point guard, forward punch. 

Garnett averaged 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game in 1997-98, his second consecutive all-star season. He played all 82 games for the first time, his shots increased to 16 per night, and he made 49.1%. The Wolves made the playoffs once again, and lost in the first round to the Seattle SuperSonics. In Game 1 of that series, Garnett scored 18 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. 

In the lockout-shortened season of 1998-99, Garnett averaged 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals on 46% shooting. For the first time in his career, he made an All-NBA team (3rd), beginning a run of seven consecutive seasons making All-NBA (he did so nine times total). 

Because the 1998-99 season did not officially have an all-star game due to the lockout, Garnett in 2000 began his run of 12 consecutive all-star appearances. He averaged 22.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.5 steals on 49.7% shooting (19 attempts), playing 40 minutes per game in 81 games. At just 23 years of age and without Marbury who was dealt in March 1999, he finished second in MVP voting, and made All-NBA 1st Team and All-Defensive 1st Team, that latter honor he would garner for the next five seasons. The Wolves won 50 games, and lost in the first round 3-1 to the Portland Trail Blazers. 

Over the next three seasons, the Wolves won 47, 50, and 51 games, and Garnett continued to excel - 22.0 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.0 assists in 2000-01 (1.4 blocks, 1.4 steals, second in Defensive Player of the Year voting), 21.2 points, 12.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists in 2001-02, and 23.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in 2002-03, finishing second once again in MVP voting in ‘02-‘03. His six triple-doubles led the NBA that season. Despite the accolades, including a No. 2 DPOY finish in 2002, a No. 3 DPOY finish and No. 2 MVP finish in 2003, playoff success eluded the Big Ticket, as the Wolves as of the summer of 2003 were coming off of their seventh consecutive first round exit. 

Reinforcements arrived for Garnett however in the forms of veterans Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell in 2003, and Garnett, as the centerpiece of a roster that also included an instant offense guard in Troy Hudson and strong wing defender Trenton Hassell, led the Wolves to 58 wins.

Garnett averaged 24.2 points (his 1,987 total points led the league), an NBA-best 13.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists along with 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals in 2003-04 (82 games, 50% shooting, 39.4 minutes), won his lone MVP award, and propelled the Wolves to the Western Conference Finals, where they put up a commendable effort but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. In Game 5’s 98-96 Timberwolves’ win, Garnett scored 30 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in 45 minutes. His marquee performance in that postseason run came on his 28th birthday, when he bested power forward rival Chris Webber with 32 points, 21 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 steals (12-for-23) in 46 minutes in the Wolves’ 83-80 Game 7 victory in the Western Conference Semifinals. Garnett also displayed his unique versatility during the playoffs, bringing the ball up and helping initiate the offense against the Denver Nuggets in round one as Cassell dealt with injury. 

Garnett played three more seasons in Minnesota, once making All-Defensive 1st Team while twice All-Defensive 2nd Team. He led the NBA in rebounding all three seasons, with 13.5, 12.7, and 12.8 per game, outstanding numbers for a rangy forward who did not possess a prototypical “big man” build. In 2006-07, the season before he was dealt to the Boston Celtics, Garnett averaged 22.4 points on 18 shots (47.6%), 12.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.7 blocks, and 1.2 steals in 76 games (39.4 minutes).  

Following the 2006-07 season, with the Wolves coming off of 32 wins and Garnett the only player on the team with over 10 years of experience and deserving of the high salary that he was making (he signed for 5 years, $100 million in 2003 after garnering the largest salary in league in history in 1997 at 6 years, $126 million), the organization decided to rebuild and thus traded him to the Celtics on July 31, 2007. In exchange, the Timberwolves received a haul of Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, and two first round draft picks (2009). 

In Boston, Garnett joined Pierce, who was his ‘95 McDonalds All-American classmate, and former Milwaukee Buck and Seattle SuperSonic sharpshooter Ray Allen, himself a South Carolina high school kid. 

Forming a star-powered “Big 3” that had not been seen in Beantown since the days of Bird-McHale-Parish, the trio turned the Celtics around from the bottom of the league to the top - Pierce the wing scorer, Allen primarily a knock-down shooter, and Garnett focused on paint play, rebounding, defense, and masterfully running the pick and roll with point guard Rajon Rondo. The turnaround from 24 wins to 66 is the largest in NBA history.

A training camp in Rome, Italy helped the group bond, a collection of players that was a mixture of youth and vet, established stars and up-and-comers. From the prior season, only Rondo, Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Brian Scalabrine, and Leon Powe remained. Along with the Big 3, in came veteran “3 and D” James Posey, veteran sniper Eddie House, weathered veterans Cassell (39) and PJ Brown (39), veteran forward Scot Pollard, and impactful rookie Glen “Big Baby” Davis.  

Garnett played the role of culture shifter and energy booster, providing the club with its heart and soul. In their season opener on November 2, 2007, the Celtics throttled the Wizards 103-83, the first of their 66 wins. A highlight of the game was a KG block that sent Gilbert Arenas to the floor. Garnett, 9-for-17 in the game in 38 minutes, registered 22 points, 20 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks, welcoming himself to the Celtic crowd in a big way.

One of the Celtics’ notable victories of the season came on March 18, 2008 in Houston, when they emphatically snapped the Rockets’ 22-game winning streak with a 94-74 victory. Over a three-game stretch, they swept what at that time was the vaunted “Texas Triangle”, with the Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and San Antonio Spurs all contenders. Garnett, who helped punctuate the Rocket win with a one-handed slam down the middle of the lane late in the game, scored 22 points with 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on 9-for-21 shooting. 

The Celtics started the 2007-08 campaign 8-0, and went on win streaks of nine (twice), and 10. They were 41-9 at the all-star break. 

In 71 games, Garnett averaged 32.8 minutes, and with his shots decreased to 14 from 18, shot 53.9% and averaged 18.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 blocks. He finished third in MVP voting, won Defensive Player of the Year, and was 1st Team All-NBA and 1st Team All-Defense for the first time since his MVP campaign. 

The 2008 playoffs brought a first round challenge for the Celtics from the Atlanta Hawks who pushed them to seven games, but a dominant 99-65 Game 7 victory got the Cs to the second round. Garnett in Game 3 shot 11-for-19 and finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds. In the clinching seventh game, he was 9-of-13 in 27 minutes for 18 points and 11 rebounds. 

Garnett scored 28 points with 8 rebounds on 13-of-22 shooting to open the second round versus LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and posted 26 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in the Celtics’ 96-89 Game 5 win. He dominated the pivotal Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons in Detroit, scoring 33 points with 7 rebounds on 11-for-17 shooting in 41 minutes in the Cs’ 106-102 win. 

In the 2008 NBA Finals, the Celtics faced Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, reigniting the greatest rivalry in the game. In Game 6, a 131-92 Celtic demolition, Garnett shot 10-for-18 for 26 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. The series included a historic Game 4 performance in which the Celtics came from 24 points down in Los Angeles.

A vindicating championship for a player maligned for his first round losses, 2008 was a redemption year for Garnett and a resurrection one for the Celtics. The following season, the team was 44-11 when they visited Utah on the road on February 19. Going up for a rebound, something happened to Garnett’s leg and he landed awkwardly. Initially thought to be something not as serious, the injury kept him out for the remainder of the season. The Celtics won 62 games still, and might have won 70 had Garnett not gotten injured. The team lost in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Orlando Magic in six games. In his 57 games that season, Garnett shot 13 times per game making 53.1%, and averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds while he made All-Defensive 1st Team. 

The next season, 2009-10, was a comeback year for Garnett and the Celtics. As he transitioned to playing fewer minutes and fewer games to keep him fresh at 33, 34 years old and coming off a knee injury, Garnett played 69 games, averaging 30 minutes and shooting 11 times per game, making 52.1% of his shots. He averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. 

Garnett was now teammates with old power forward rival Rasheed Wallace, who the Celtics brought in for additional interior defense, knowledge, and to stretch the floor. The Celtics won 50 games, and along the way to the Finals defeated James and the Cavaliers and Dwight Howard and the Magic, two younger teams with younger superstars that were thought to be favorites. The Celtics once again met the Lakers, but lost the series in seven games, concluding the latest chapter in the two franchises’ historic rivalry. In the seven Finals’ games, Garnett, age 34, averaged 15.3 points and 5.6 rebounds on 51.1% shooting in 31.7 minutes. 

Garnett has since remarked that during that series, the Celtics gave everything that they had and had nothing left. “Sitting there, telling your legs to get going,” was how Garnett described it in 2016 to McHale, who Garnett credits for his development as a player. Even on a dwindling gas tank, Garnett gave it all that he could.

In 2011, Garnett averaged 14.9 points and 8.9 rebounds in 31 minutes per game, making six of his 12 shots per game. He finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting to the Dallas Mavericks’ Tyson Chandler. The Celtics were 40-14 at the all-star break, with a roster that now included Garnett’s former Western Conference rival Shaquille O’Neal and a power forward rival in Jermaine O’Neal. The team lost in the first round to LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat in five games. Garnett was fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and made 2nd Team All-NBA. 

For the 2011-12 season, Garnett’s next to last in Boston, he averaged 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in 31 minutes in 60 games, shooting 50% on 13 attempts. The Celtics led the Heat 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, but lost in seven games.

In 2012-13, Garnett made his final all-star game, his 15th, has he and Pierce led a Celtic team that was without Allen, who departed to Miami in the offseason. The Celtics drafted Avery Bradley, a stealth defender in the 2011 draft, which made Allen somewhat expendable. In 68 games averaging 30 minutes in ‘12-‘13, Garnett shot 49.6% on 13 attempts and averaged 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds. In the first round against the New York Knicks, Garnett, who had transitioned to playing mostly center after the February 2011 trade of Perkins, joined Dennis Rodman as the oldest player in league history to record 17 rebounds in consecutive playoff games. In games three, four, and five, KG tallied 17, 17, and 18 boards. In May of 1998, Rodman tallied 17, 18, and 21 in games three, four, and five against the Charlotte Hornets.

With the loss to the Knicks in six games, the Celtic era came to a close, as Garnett and Pierce were dealt along with Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets on draft night 2013. Forming a starting lineup that included the two former Celtics along with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez, Garnett, 37, saw a decrease in minutes to 20 per game, and in opportunities. In 96 games as a Net, he averaged 6.6 points on seven shots a night, and 6.7 rebounds. At the 2015 trade deadline, he was traded back to Minnesota, for forward Thaddeus Young, beginning a rightful 43 game conclusion to his legendary career back where it started 20 years prior.

Garnett’s marquee moment as a Timberwolf for the second time came against the Los Angeles Clippers, an aging KG trailing the break and getting a behind-the-back pass from point guard Ricky Rubio. Garnett elevated and delivered a right-handed slam on Clipper star Blake Griffin as only KG could, ferociously and letting out a roar. Garnett played in Minnesota for his ex-teammate and friend Mitchell, and was the veteran guiding a group of young pups that included Rubio, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Zach Lavine. 

Garnett saw action in 15 minutes per game in his final season, registering the final double-digit scoring game of his career on December 28, 2015 against the San Antonio Spurs, 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting in 15 minutes.

In September 2016, Garnett announced his retirement at the age of 40. At the time, his 21 seasons were tied for the most in NBA history with Robert Parish and Kevin Willis. 

In his 21 seasons, Garnett played 1,462 games, starting 1,425. He amassed 26,071 points (21st), 14,662 rebounds (9th), 2,037 blocks (19th), and 1,859 steals, and his 11,453 defensive rebounds reign as the most in league history. Garnett is one of only five players to have recorded 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists. For his career, he averaged 17.8 points and 10.0 rebounds, though his best years saw him consistently over 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists on 50% shooting. 

Garnett is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards to ever play, and was a rarity as a player 6 foot, 11 inches who could defend both guards and centers. He was a 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in Sydney, and in video of practices from their training camp can be seen running “King of the Court” fullcourt against his teammates in dominating fashion. 

The Big Ticket was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 along with rival Tim Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant. 

Happy Birthday, Kevin Garnett.