Garnett calls it a career at 40
The 7-footer leaves a legacy as one of the best defensive players and most intense in league history.
No fire burned hotter, no mouth was fouler, no defender was in for a longer night than Kevin Garnett’s. In more than two decades in the NBA, Garnett opened the door for a new wave of young talent to enter the league, was partly responsible for a rewriting of the collective bargaining agreement and nearly singlehandedly redefined what the game’s tallest players were allowed to do on the court.
No. 21 is calling it a career after 21 years, leaving a legacy as one of the best defensive players in league history and one of the game’s most influential and intense competitors. Garnett informed the Timberwolves of his decision to retire Friday. The team will waive the franchise icon, which will allow him to collect his entire $8-million salary for next season.
The 15-time All-Star was MVP in 2004 after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals and ranks first in the league in career defensive rebounds, third in minutes played and fifth in games played.
Garnett, now 40, put the Timberwolves on the map by turning one of the most hapless franchises in professional sports into a perennial playoff team. He later helped return the Boston Celtics to glory, winning a championship in 2008.
“Everything changed the day Kevin arrived in Boston,” Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck said.
He came into the league straight from high school in 1995, the first player to do so in 20 years. The move paved the way for Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tracy McGrady to follow him, and for the league to institute a rule requiring players to be one year removed from high school before being draft eligible. Garnett also made more than $330 million in his career, the most by any player in league history.
Chris Bosh’s plan to resume playing is now in jeopardy, after medical examinations performed in recent days convinced the Miami Heat that he is not healthy enough to return to the court. The Heat said they still cannot clear Bosh for a resumption of basketball activities, based on the result of his preseason physical — a series of tests conducted over the last few days. Their announcement came two days after Bosh revealed in the first chapter of a documentary series about his saga that he had multiple blood clots in February.