Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 11 – Kevin Garnett
Career: 1995 – 2016
Achievements: 2007-08 champion; 2003-04 MVP; All-NBA (9x); All-Star (15x); All-Defense (12x); Defensive Player of the Year; 10th in career rebounding; 20th in career blocks; 21st in career scoring
Another big man in the line of Tim Duncan and Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Garnett was simultaneously an elite defender while also a dominant scorer, leading his team on both ends of the court. His place in history is often overlooked because he spent the first 12 years of his career playing on truly abysmal Minnesota teams, teams that he dragged to the postseason eight times.
The only All-Stars he played with in his prime were a 34-year-old Sam Cassell in 2003-04, and Wally Szczerbiak riding Garnett’s coattails in 2001-02. He never had a legitimate co-star, let alone a deep roster and bench to support him. He was legitimately a top-5 player in the league for a dozen years.
Garnett, an emotionally charged competitor who would headbutt the stanchion before games to let out his rage, finally got his career validation in Boston. He won a title in 2008 in his first season there, and after a season-ending injury in 2009 came back and led the Celtics to the Finals again in 2010. Garnett’s two-way impact was elite, and it places him as high as 11th all-time.