Kevin Garnett was born on May 19, 1976 in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. He is a son of O'Lewis McCullough and Shirley Garnett. Garnett's birth parents were never formally married and broke up not long after Kevin was born. Shirley then remarried Ernest Irby, who became Kevin's stepfather. The athlete has two sisters, an older Sonya and a younger Ashley.
Kevin Garnett spent the first twelve years of his life in his native Greenville. As Kevin's mother wasn't married to his biological father, she had to support the family and bring up first two and then three children on her own. To make ends meet, she worked at a local factory and as a hairdresser as well.
Naturally, Kevin's birth father didn't take active part in the upbringing of his children only paying maintenance to his former common-law wife. However, a gifted basketball player in his youth, he influenced one of his son's childish passions which would become his career. Kevin had a dream of entering the NBA since the early years. Magic Johnson was one of his idols.
Unfortunately, Kevin's stepfather, as well as his mother, didn't share his passion for the game. In 1988, the family relocated to Maudlin, South California where Kevin attended Mauldin High School and competed for its basketball team. He showed promise as a basketball prospect and gained attention of college scouts. At the end of his junior year at the high school, Garnett was named Mr. Basketball for the state of South Carolina.
The incident after the junior year in high school in which Garnett and several of his friends were accused of assaulting a white student led to major changes in his life. Although his record was cleared after he participated in a pre-trial program for first-time offenders, staying in the area was problematic after the incident. It was decided to move to Chicago where he spent his high school senior year at Farragut Academy High School (currently Farragut Career Academy).
The relocation was a successful step from a basketball standpoint, though, as Garnett averaged 25.2 points per game, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks in his one year at Farragut. He was named Mr. Basketball of Illinois, then the USA Today's National High School Player of the Year, and finally was placed on the Parade Magazine All-America First Team.
Playing in the 1995 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, he grabbed 11 rebounds, scored 18 points that brought him the title of the game's Most Outstanding Player. No one had doubts that Garnett was a classy basketball prospect. Poor academic success however became a serious obstacle to a traditional next step into college, and, consequently to college basketball. Garnett wasn't able to pass the ACT entrance exam required by the National Collegiate Athletic Association for a freshman.
Kevin Garnett's career in the NBA began in 1995 when the Minnesota Timberwolves chose him with the fifth overall pick in the NBA Entry Draft. After signing the contract for $5.6 million over three years, he was assigned forward.
The combination of Garnett's physical characteristics and shooting ability made him a difficult rival for his opponents. Midway through the season, he led the team with a 49.1 percent field goal percentage and broke a team record for blocked shots in a season with 131. He also led the team in rebounds in half the games after he became a starter, and had double digits in points and rebounds in 12 games. His second season with the squad was marked by the participation in the NBA All-Star Game and by appearance of the Timberwolves at the franchise's first playoff due to his strong play. In 1997, Garnett signed a contract extension that promised him $126 million over six years.
The athlete continued to progress throughout his tenure in Minnesota. Although his series of individual achievements were spectacular, so did his reputation, the team itself advanced past the first round of the playoffs only once and never made it to the NBA finals. During a rebuilding period ahead of the 2007-08 season, the Timberwolves' management decided to trade Garnett to the Boston Celtics for a record seven players, including Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff and a couple more. The contract with the Celtics, including a three-year extension, would allow Garnett for five seasons in the squad.
In the first season with the team, Kevin Garnett was titled the NBA Defensive Player of the Year. His cooperation with fellow All-Stars Ray Allen and Paul Pierce (the triumvirate that would later be named Big Three) led Boston to the NBA championship in 2008. Thanks to Garnett, the Boston Celtics managed to reach the NBA finals for the second time in three years during the 2009-10 season, but the team eventually lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games. The Celtics qualified for the conference finals in 2011-12, and following the next season Garnett, along with Pierce, was traded to the Brooklyn Nets.
37-year-old Kevin Garnett's productivity plummeted in Brooklyn as he averaged just 6.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during his two partial seasons with the team (injuries reduced the number of his appearences to 54 games during the 2013-14 campaign) before he was traded back to Minnesota Timberwolves in February 2015. Back home to his "alma-mater" squad, Garnett primarily served as a trainer for many young members on the team roster. Playing part-time, not more than 15 to 20 minutes a game, he averaged a career-low 3.2 points per game during the 2015-16 season. The hurt of his knee made him miss the second half of that season, and he ultimately announced his retirement from the sport in September 2016.
After his retirement, Kevin Garnett joined the staff of an NBA-themed television studio show as a commentator. He has also tried himself as a consultant to the Los Angeles Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks. In 2019, the former basketball player appeared as himself in the crime dramedy Uncut Gems, which starred Adam Sandler.
Kevin Garnett is regarded as one of the most talented power forwards in the history of the basketball. Playing in the NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves, for 12 seasons, the longest period of time for one team, he is among the four players in the Association to earn both the Most Valuable Player and the Defensive Player of the Year awards.
A 2008 NBA champion, Garnett retired from the league with the 17th most career points (26,071) and 9th most career rebounds (14,662), the only player in the league history with such high rates. He also remains the only one who averaged at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game for 6 consecutive seasons and at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game for 9 consecutive seasons. Besides, Garnett is the first NBA player to receive the NBA Player of the Month Award four times in the same season. The list is definitely far from complete.
On April 4, 2020, Garnett was inducted into The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
(Kevin Garnett played a fictionalized version of himself i...)
2019Kevin Garnett was brought up in the traditions of Jehovah's Witnesses. That is why he didn't know about such holidays as Halloween and Christmas in his early years. He celebrated the latter for the first time only at the age of 19.
Quotations:
"They say no matter how hard you work, there's always someone, somewhere working harder then you. Guess what... I'm that someone."
"At the end of the day, you're responsible for yourself and your actions and that's all you can control. So rather than be frustrated with what you can't control, try to fix the things you can."
"I'm not the type of person to give up just because something gets rough. That's a coward. That's not me."
"We have to do the impossible, but it is possible."
"I've never been an individual guy. I never cared about the accolades. I've always been driven by the competition and the learning process."
"I don't play to sweat, I play to win."
"I want to be known as the best teammate ever."
"I learned one thing – never hate a positive option."
"I'm very simple. I'm not for the flashes, I'm not for glitz and glamour, you know."
"I'm from the bottom, I understand what it's like to have and to not have. My perception on giving is to put yourself in those people's shoes and go from there. So that's what I did."
"I'm not a star, man. If a guy came in here and shot you and shot me, we'd both be two dead people. You understand?"
"I have a problem sometimes with being too hyper."
"Timing is everything. Chemistry is something that you don't just throw in the frying pan and mix it up with another something, then throw it on top of something, then fry it up and put it in a tortilla and put in a microwave, heat it up and give it to you and expect it to taste good. You know? For those of you who can cook, y'all know what I'm talking about. If y'all can't cook, this doesn't concern you."
"The beautiful thing about when you go through a slide is that you learn from it. Not just saying that you learn from it, but applying the things that you have learned."
"There are a lot of things that frustrate me. I get frustrated when I have to wait at a red light."
Physical Characteristics: Kevin Garnett is 2.11 meters tall.
Quotes from others about the person
"He's a genetic freak. All the great ones are." – Doug Collins, basketball executive, former player, coach and TV analyst for NBA
"He's very outgoing. Just one of the guys. He definitely does not have the big head. Not Kevin." – NBA veteran Antawn Jamison
"This guy has as much energy as anyone I've ever seen. He attacks the boards like he's in a gym all by himself." – former NBA player and coach Rudy Tomjanovich
"His know-how for the game, his feel for the game - that's something you can't teach. You either got it or you don't. He's got it." – former basketball player Magic Johnson
"When I first saw him, he had the best athletic skills for his size of anyone I had ever seen at that stage. He's really thin, but it doesn't matter. With his agility and coordination, he can give people trouble at the power forward, small forward and center positions." – Elgin Baylor, former basketball player, coach and executive
"Offensively, he has that wonderful turnaround jump shot and those follow-ups around the basket. He's one of those guys who, because of his size and athletic ability, creates real difficult defensive matchups." – former basketball player Jerry West
"No joke, you enjoy his company. He makes everybody better." – NBA G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim
"God has really put something together with him. His size and his ability – he's probably one of the most unique players in the world." – former basketball player Allan Houston
"He's great for our game. He's not a taker. He gives everything back. He's as good a teammate as you could possibly have and as great a kid to coach as you could ever want." – former basketball player and coach Larry Brown
"He's one of the most unselfish go-to guys I've ever seen. He's a classic." – former teammate Joe Smith
"Kevin Garnett is the prototype for the NBA player of the future. He's already one of the greatest players to have played the game." – sportscaster and former basketball player Bill Walton
"He's long, energetic, and silly. He has fun out there." – former basketball player Grant Hill
"Kevin Garnett is a guy who cares about your feelings. He respects the last guy on the team." – former teammate Sam Cassell
Kevin Garnett was wed to his longstanding girlfriend Brandi Padilla from July 2004 to 2019. The family produced two daughters, Capri and Kavalli.
(born January 25, 1976)
(born 2008)
(born 2013)
(born March 13, 1982)
McCullough was the number one draft pick for the South Carolina Heat in the World Basketball Association in 2005. He has played for the Club Olimpia, Paraguay. He was a forward in several teams of the Mexican National Professional Basketball League and a member of the Chester Jets, the British Basketball League.
(born April 5, 1975)
Shammond Williams is a former American-born naturalized Georgian professional basketball player. Playing in the NBA and in Europe, he was point guard and shooting guard.
(born June 7, 1958 – died April 21, 2016)
Prince, alias of Prince Rogers Nelson, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer, dancer, and performer on keyboards, drums, and bass who was among the most talented American musicians of his generation. Like Stevie Wonder, he was a rare composer who could perform at a professional level on virtually all the instruments he required, and a considerable number of his recordings feature him in all the performing roles.
