Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers told ESPN.com on Friday that he was willing to bring Kevin Garnett to Los Angeles to join the Clippers but that the 40-year-old wanted to retire. Garnett played six seasons in Boston, and then spent one and a half season with the Brooklyn Nets. The 7-for-1 deal was the most players that had ever been traded for one player in National Basketball Association history.
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Garnett was drafted by the Timberwolves straight out of high school in 1995. Something small like tipping a ball out of bounds on defense will happen and we’ll clap, but KG is just standing up going insane like someone just got dunked on with the best poster of all time.
The T-Wolves reluctantly traded Garnett in 2007 to the Boston Celtics and he was teammates of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Greenville, South Carolina-born Garnett was the league’s MVP in 2004 and four times, he was All-NBA First Team (2000, 2003, 2004, 2008).
In contrast, Garnett was decidedly less willing to push the envelope with more formidable figures such as Carmelo Anthony and Metta World Peace-players with actual track records of on-court fighting.
It is unclear what the future holds for the 15-time All-Star, but it would not be surprising to see him in the front office of an National Basketball Association team. I think he realized, ‘Why am I doing this?’
Saunders was sacked as Timberwolves’ coach less than two years after that playoff run ended, and when he returned as team president, he convinced Garnett to waive his no-trade clause in February of 2015. “He held himself to the highest standard of preparation and performance for a remarkable 21 seasons”.
He was also a 15-times All Star, and is now 17th on the Career Points table, 9th in Career Rebounds, and 17th in Blocked Shots.
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That reportedly left Garnett disillusioned by owner Glen Taylor’s operation, and even having a prior relationship with new boss Tom Thibodeau wasn’t enough to keep him happy and in the fold. “He loves the game and played it with a passion you just don’t see very often”. Changes in the front office likely closed the door to Garnett one day joining ownership. He finishes his career as one of three players with 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists. “I mean he’s quite aware of it, but it’s not keeping him up at night, so we’ll leave it at that”. And while he didn’t mention the word “retirement” directly, he added that he “didn’t expect this to be easy, ‘ right before the video ended with the word “Farewell” in the middle of the screen”. But so far so good.
