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Full Name: Kevin Maurice Garnett Current Team: Boston Celtics
Height/Weight: 6'11"/253 Number: 5
Birthdate: May 19, 1976 Entry Draft: 1st round (5th) in 1995
Birthplace: Mauldin, South Carolina Drafted By: Minnesota Timberwolves
Position: PF College: N/A

Biography[]

Kevin Garnett (born May 19 1976, in Mauldin, South Carolina) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Boston Celtics. He is also referred to by the nicknames "KG", "The Big Ticket" and "The Kid". After graduating from Farragut Career Academy in Chicago, Illinois, he was drafted in 1995, the first player drafted out of high school in 20 years. In 2004, he was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player.

Kevin Garnett was the 5th pick of the 1995 NBA Draft, picked by the moribund Minnesota Timberwolves. After joining the NBA for the 1989-90 season, the Timberwolves had not won more than 29 games in any season. However, the Timberwolves were going through a transition phase, having installed Flip Saunders as head coach (replacing the fired Bill Blair) and making several trades that changed the team's composition. Garnett initially came off the bench in his rookie year, but moved into the starting lineup in the middle of the season. 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 Amare 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.

Player Profile[]

Because of his great athleticism and 6'11" (211 cm) stature, Garnett is widely regarded as one of the most versatile players ever, capable of playing all five positions on the floor, though he has made his mark playing the power forward position. He holds the record for most consecutive seasons (6) of averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, formerly held by Larry Bird. In addition to his offensive prowess, Garnett is an excellent defender, having been elected to the NBA's All-Defense first team from 2000 to 2005 and making the second team in 2006.

Garnett is also a model of consistency; as of January 11, 2006, he has scored at least 10 points in 279 straight games, and started 309 straight games. He has also consistently been among the leaders in efficiency rating.

Garnett initially came off the bench in his rookie year, but moved into the starting lineup in the middle of the season and led the Minnesota Timberwolves in blocks. Garnett was selected to play in every All-Star Game after his second season, winning the All-Star MVP in 2003.

Playoff Difficulty[]

Despite his numerous individual accomplishments, Garnett's teams have struggled in the playoffs, unable to advance past the first round for seven consecutive years. The streak ended in 2004, as the Timberwolves, with the best record in the Western Conference defeated the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings. However they fell short of the NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

Garnett became the 5th player in NBA history to score 30+ points and grab 20+ rebounds in a 7th game of a series. He registered 32 points and 21 rebounds in the Game 7 victory over Sacramento. However, the Timberwolves failed to match this performance in 2005, the first year (8 consecutive playoff berths) they did not make the playoffs with Garnett.

By the latter half of the 2005-06 season, the Timberwolves were out of the playoff hunt, and rumors arose suggesting they would entertain trade offers for Garnett. At a post-season press conference, the Timberwolves GM Kevin McHale put these rumors to rest.

Garnett leads all active NBA players (11 years) for the distinction of having played his entire career for only one team. Tied for second place are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers, each of whom have played 10 seasons for their respective teams.

In spite of his stats, team success has eluded Garnett. On one hand, he arguably never had the teammates (except for the one-year stint of Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell), but critics say that Garnett has never succeeded to make his teammates better, in contrast to contemporary "big men" like Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan who helped shape talents like Anfernee Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili into legitimate superstars. Furthermore, he is one of the few superstars who has missed the playoffs in consecutive years during the prime of his career.

Garnett has a "Hall of Fame Probability" of 0.96 according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Achievements[]

  • NBA Most Valuable Player: 2004
  • TSN NBA Most Valuable Player: 2004
  • 9-time NBA All-Star: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
  • NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2003
  • 7-time All-NBA:
  • First Team: 2000, 2003, 2004
  • Second Team: 2001, 2002, 2005
  • Third Team: 1999
  • 1-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2008
  • 7-time All-Defensive:
  • First Team: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
  • Second Team: 2006
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 1996
  • 2-time NBA regular-season leader, PER: 2004 (29.4), 2005 (28.2)
  • 3-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounds per game: 2004 (13.9), 2005 (13.5), 2006 (12.7)
  • 2-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounds: 2004 (1,139), 2005 (1,108)
  • 4-time NBA regular-season leader, defensive rebounds: 2003 (858), 2004 (894), 2005 (861), 2006 (752)
  • NBA regular-season leader, points: 2004 (1,987)
  • NBA regular-season leader, field goals made: 2004 (804)
  • J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award: 2006
  • Career triple-doubles (regular season): 13 (as of 2006)
  • Career triple-doubles (postseason): 3 (as of 2006)
  • Only player in NBA history to:
  • average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists per season for 6 consecutive seasons.
  • reach at least 17,000 points, 9,500 rebounds, 3,800 assists, 1,190 steals, and 1,450 blocks in his playing career.
  • Holds Minnesota Timberwolves franchise record for most points in one game with 47 vs. the Phoenix Suns on January 4, 2005.
  • Holds Minnesota Timberwolves franchise career records for points, 17,337; rebounds, 9,567; assists, 3,833; blocked shots, 1,450; steals, 1,193; and games played, 851 as of the end of the 2005-2006 season.
  • Ranked #70 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of All Time in 2003.
  • Career stats (regular season): 851 games, 20.4 ppg, 11.2 rbg, 4.1 apg, 1.7 bpg, 1.4 spg, .493 FG%, .298 3FG%, .773 FT%
  • Career stats (postseason): 47 games, 22.3 ppg, 13.4 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.9 bpg, 1.3 spg, .458 FG%, .333 3FG%, .761 FT%

Off the Court[]

  • Garnett married long time girlfriend Brandi Padilla in the summer of 2004. The two had a private ceremony in California. The wedding was the reason he did not take part in the Olympic games. Brandi is the sister of the wife of Jimmy Jam Harris, one of Garnett's close friends.
  • Garnett loved the Chicago Bulls as a child growing up in Mauldin, South Carolina
  • In November 2005, Garnett donated $1.2 million to Oprah's Angel Network to help with Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Trivia[]

  • Garnett has appeared on the cover of SLAM Magazine five times.
  • Garnett has appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times.

External links[]

Transactions[]

Statistics[]

Totals[]

Season Team G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1996 MIN 80 43 2293 361 735 .491 8 28 .286 105 149 .705 175 326 501 145 86 131 110 189 835
1997 MIN 77 77 2995 549 1100 .499 6 21 .286 205 272 .754 190 428 618 236 105 163 175 199 1309
1998 MIN 82 82 3222 635 1293 .491 3 16 .188 245 332 .738 222 564 786 348 139 150 192 224 1518
1999 MIN 47 47 1780 414 900 .460 4 14 .286 145 206 .704 166 323 489 202 78 83 135 152 977
2000 MIN 81 81 3243 759 1526 .497 30 81 .370 309 404 .765 223 733 956 401 120 126 268 205 1857
2001 MIN 81 81 3202 704 1475 .477 19 66 .288 357 467 .764 219 702 921 401 111 145 230 204 1784
2002 MIN 81 81 3175 659 1401 .470 37 116 .319 359 448 .801 243 738 981 422 96 126 229 184 1714
2003 MIN 82 82 3322 743 1481 .502 20 71 .282 377 502 .751 244 858 1102 495 113 129 229 199 1883
2004 MIN 82 82 3331 804 1611 .499 11 43 .256 368 465 .791 245 894 1139 409 120 178 212 202 1987
2005 MIN 82 82 3121 683 1360 .502 6 25 .240 445 549 .811 247 861 1108 466 121 112 222 207 1817
2006 MIN 76 76 2957 626 1191 .526 8 30 .267 396 489 .810 214 752 966 308 104 107 180 206 1656
2007 MIN 76 76 2995 638 1341 .476 12 56 .214 416 498 .835 183 792 975 313 89 126 205 184 1704
2008 BOS 71 71 2328 534 990 .539 0 11 .000 269 336 .801 135 520 655 244 100 89 138 163 1337
2009 BOS
Career

Per Game[]

Season Team G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1996 MIN 80 43 28.7 4.5 9.2 .491 0.1 0.4 .286 1.3 1.9 .705 2.2 4.1 6.3 1.8 1.1 1.6 1.4 2.4 10.4
1997 MIN 77 77 38.9 7.1 14.3 .499 0.1 0.3 .286 2.7 3.5 .754 2.5 5.6 8.0 3.1 1.4 2.1 2.3 2.6 17.0
1998 MIN 82 82 39.3 7.7 15.8 .491 0.0 0.2 .188 3.0 4.0 .738 2.7 6.9 9.6 4.2 1.7 1.8 2.3 2.7 18.5
1999 MIN 47 47 37.9 8.8 19.1 .460 0.1 0.3 .286 3.1 4.4 .704 3.5 6.9 10.4 4.3 1.7 1.8 2.9 3.2 20.8
2000 MIN 81 81 40.0 9.4 18.8 .497 0.4 1.0 .370 3.8 5.0 .765 2.8 9.0 11.8 5.0 1.5 1.6 3.3 2.5 22.9
2001 MIN 81 81 39.5 8.7 18.2 .477 0.2 0.8 .288 4.4 5.8 .764 2.7 8.7 11.4 5.0 1.4 1.8 2.8 2.5 22.0
2002 MIN 81 81 39.2 8.1 17.3 .470 0.5 1.4 .319 4.4 5.5 .801 3.0 9.1 12.1 5.2 1.2 1.6 2.8 2.3 21.2
2003 MIN 82 82 40.5 9.1 18.1 .502 0.2 0.9 .282 4.6 6.1 .751 3.0 10.5 13.4 6.0 1.4 1.6 2.8 2.4 23.0
2004 MIN 82 82 39.4 9.8 19.6 .499 0.1 0.5 .256 4.5 5.7 .791 3.0 10.9 13.9 5.0 1.5 2.2 2.6 2.5 24.2
2005 MIN 82 82 38.1 8.3 16.6 .502 0.1 0.3 .240 5.4 6.7 .811 3.0 10.5 13.5 5.7 1.5 1.4 2.7 2.5 22.2
2006 MIN 76 76 38.9 8.2 15.7 .526 0.1 0.4 .267 5.2 6.4 .810 2.8 9.9 12.7 4.1 1.4 1.4 2.4 2.7 21.8
2007 MIN 76 76 39.4 8.4 17.6 .476 0.2 0.7 .214 5.5 6.6 .835 2.4 10.4 12.8 4.1 1.2 1.7 2.7 2.4 22.4
2008 BOS 71 71 32.8 7.5 13.9 .539 0.0 0.2 .000 3.8 4.7 .801 1.9 7.3 9.2 3.4 1.4 1.3 1.9 2.3 18.8
2009 BOS
Career

Awards and Accomplishments[]

See also[]

Web Directory[]

Statistics[]

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