Slated to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this Saturday along with some of the greatest players, coaches, and media members from his era, champion Boston Celtics big man Kevin Garnett is about to be immortalized in basketball Valhalla.
And while he reached the peak of his powers as a Celtic, with 21 seasons in the league, there have been a host of big moments we should all celebrate as fans of the game. To that end, we compiled No. 5’s five biggest career moments — two of which were achieved with Boston — for all of us to wax nostalgic over.
Buy Celtics TicketsCheck out the list below as we honor the Big Ticket with the greatest honor of the sport he dedicated his life to.
PHOTOS: Boston Celtics in the Basketball Hall of Fame https://t.co/KqUpclx6aQ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) May 14, 2021
Making the leap from prep to pro
Plenty of people didn’t think the wiry kid from Chicago was going to cut it in the NBA after making the leap directly from high school — and they couldn’t have been more wrong. He’d make All-Rookie Second Team and continued filling his trophy case from there at a rapid clip.
Olympic gold in 2000
The Big Ticket only played for the U.S. National Team once, but he made it count. He would win gold with Team USA in the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia while averaging 10.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
Defensive Player of the Year
KG would win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award in his first season with the Celtics (2007-08), demonstrating the peak of his powers on that end of the ball on his way to an even greater honor among the many he earned in his 21 seasons in the league.
Most Valuable Player
Before KG became a Boston Celtic, he made his bones trying to drag a perennially under-manned Minnesota Timberwolves to the postseason to make some noise. And in the season he finally managed to do that as the T-Wolves made the Western Conference Finals, he was honored as league MVP.
Winning the 2008 NBA championship
In what would not only prove to be the apex of his Hall of Fame career but also his most iconic moment, Garnett reminded us of the importance of never, ever giving up on yourself or your peers. Moments after helping hang Banner 17 for Boston, he shouted out for all the world to hear those famous words, “Anything is possible!”
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