After a 21-year career decorated by some of the game's greatest achievements, future NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett announced his retirement from basketball on Friday, September 23. Heading into the 2016-17 season, Garnett was primed to become the only player to ever suit up for 22 years, but it is reported that instead, he and the Minnesota Timberwolves worked out an agreement to buy out his contract, effectively putting an end to a journey that began when he was drafted out of high school in 1995.
"I'm just thankful man. I can't ever put that into words, I'm just thankful. I'm just thankful for everybody and the love. I never would've thought that people love me like this, but for it to be reality is just something else man," Garnett said in a video tribute he posted to his Instagram page. The decision was first announced through his agency, ASM Sports, which tweeted "Thank you KG. Loved on & off the court, a role model and one of the most influential players to ever play the game," earlier in the evening.
Garnett, 40, leaves behind a legacy as one of the greatest defenders to ever grace the court. He is first all-time in defensive rebounds, with 11,453, and a top twenty all-time scorer, with 26,071 points. With 15 All-Star selections to his name, and 12 All-Defensive selections, he makes his exit as not only an accomplished individual in the game, having won league MVP in 2003-04, but as a legendary floor general who made his teams better, winning an NBA Finals Championship with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08. After establishing himself as a leader of the so-called "Big Three," Garnett made a stop in Brooklyn for a couple of seasons before returning to the T-Wolves to finish out his years as a professional in the place it all started.
Source: usatoday.com
