Kevin Garnett Biography

Kevin Garnett was born in Greenville, South Carolina to Shirley Garnett and O’Lewis McCullough. His parents were never officially married and after he was born, his father left his mother. She did the sole job of bringing him up.

Garnett attended the Hillcrest Middle School and started exploring basketball for the first time there but it was at Mauldin High School that he started playing in the school team.

Although Garnett was doing well with basketball in the school, an unfortunate event took place and he got into a racially inflicted fight. He was arrested for second-degree lynching. All the charges were dropped but he decided to leave Mauldin.

He got transferred to Farragut Career Academy, Chicago, and he continued his senior year there. He did very well in basketball and was named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today.

Around the same time, he was named the Most Outstanding Player and to mark the 35th anniversary of the McDonald’s All-American High School Boys Basketball Game, he was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans.

In 1995, Garnett was the first player to be drafted directly out of school by NBA Draft’s Minnesota Timberwolves. Timberwolves new head coach moved him into the startup line. Though not a superstar yet, he had a decent rookie year.

During the next season, 1996-97, Garnett showed improvement in his performance, which resulted in the better performance of the Timberwolves as well. He earned 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.7 steals in total.

1997-98 began with the contractual agreement between the Timberwolves and Garnett to remain in association for another 6 years. He improved and earned 18.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game.

In the next season, Garnett achieved solid success earning 20.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team. His stardom started to take shape around this time.

In 1999-2000, too many controversies clouded the success of the Timberwolves–– the free agent signing of Joe Smith was considered illegal by the NBA. As a result, the team was stripped of three first-round draft picks, and the owner was fined.

Garnett kept showing improvement and in the 2001-02 season, he gathered 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.

In 2003-04, Garnett was not the only star of the Timberwolves now, he was joined by players like Sprewell, Cassell, etc. With their assistance, he earned 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.5 steals.

Garnett was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2004-05 but the Timberwolves were not doing so well and the next season was a bigger disappointment as the Timberwolves had to let go of Cassell and the team logged the second-worst record since Garnett joined.

In 2007, Garnett was traded off to the Boston Celtics after being part of the Timberwolves for the first 12 seasons of his basketball career. He had the longest current tenure of any player in the NBA with one team.

Garnett made his Boston debut with a strong performance against the Washington Wizards in 2007-08, 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.

In 2008, Garnett was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. It was the only major award a Celtic player had not claimed since the franchise's foundation in 1946. He was also third in MVP voting for the year.

He averaged 15.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during 2008-09 and became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career games. He also got his twelfth consecutive All-Star Game but suffered from a knee injury.

Garnett was selected to play in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, which was his 13th All-Star Game selection.

The 2010 Finals went to a decisive seventh game in LA, where the Celtics led well into the third quarter before the LA Lakers mounted a comeback and held on for the victory.

In the 2010–11 NBA season, Garnett and the Celtics started strong, winning 23 of their first 26 games but he injured his knee and had to miss two weeks.

When he returned, he averaged under 15 points, under 9 rebounds, and a career-low 0.8 blocks per game.

Garnett agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Celtics worth an estimated $34 million in 2012. The following year, it was announced that Garnett had been voted to start in the 2013 All-Star Game in Houston.

In 2013, the Celtics and Brooklyn Nets reached a deal to trade Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry for future first-round picks in the 2014, 2016, and 2018 drafts. In December of that year, he became the tenth player in NBA history to reach over 14,000 career rebounds.

In November 2014, he led the Brooklyn Nets to a 102–90 win against the Detroit Pistons. The following year, he returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves after suspending his no-trade clause. However, he could only appear for 5 games due to a knee injury.

In 2015, he signed a two-year deal with the Timberwolves. In November of that year, his total playtime reached 50,000 minutes, making him the fifth player in NBA history to achieve this feat. He appeared in 38 of the 45 games of the Timberwolves in the season. However, he had to skip the second half of the season after his right knee again got injured.

On September 23, 2016, he announced his retirement. However, he did express interest in playing one more season for the Timberwolves.

In 2019, he starred in the crime thriller film ‘Uncut Gems’ directed by Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie. The film saw critical acclaim upon release and grossed over $50 million on a $19 million budget.

He has set many NBA records - ‘Only player in NBA history to reach at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 steals and 1,500 blocks in his career’, ‘Only player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game for 6 consecutive seasons’, etc.

Other awards include: ‘NBA Champion (2008)’, ‘Olympic gold medal (2000)’, ‘NBA Most Valuable Player (2004)’, ‘NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2008)’, ‘NBA All-Star Game MVP (2003)’, etc.

The most prominent achievement of Garnett’s basketball career is considered to be his 12-season-long stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the NBA team that he started off with directly after school. He led the Timberwolves to eight consecutive playoff appearances.

In 2004, Garnett got officially married to his longtime girlfriend Brandi Padilla in California.

Kevin Garnett is known for his intense and passionate playing style, often referred to as "The Big Ticket" for his ability to draw crowds and energize his teammates.

Off the court, Garnett is an avid collector of sports memorabilia, including rare jerseys and sneakers from basketball legends.

Garnett is fluent in multiple languages, including Spanish and French, which has helped him communicate with teammates and fans from different backgrounds.

In addition to his basketball skills, Garnett is also a talented musician and has been known to play the drums in his spare time.

Garnett is a dedicated philanthropist, actively supporting various charitable causes and organizations throughout his career.