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Kevin Garnett’s legacy with the Boston Celtics will live forever

By Justin Trombino

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 26: Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics reacts prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks on April 26, 2013 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 26: Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics reacts prior to Game Three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks on April 26, 2013 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /
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Kevin Garnett legacy with the Boston Celtics will live forever
Kevin Garnett (C) of The Boston Celtics follows Sebastian Telfair (R) of The Minnesota Timberwolves during NBA Europe Live 2007 tour at The O2 Arena in London 10 October 2007. The Celtics won the game. Four NBA teams, Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors are touring Europe to compete against top Euroleague and European basketball clubs. AFP PHOTO/ADRIAN DENNIS (Photo credit should read ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

The legacy and tradition of the Boston Celtics were put back on the map when Kevin Garnett arrived in Boston during the 2007 offseason. He possessed all of the necessary components needed to be a part of the most historic franchise in the NBA, and he did it with tremendous pride and class.

Garnett arrived in Boston as an established veteran in the NBA. He was named MVP in 2004 and was a 10-time All-Star prior to joining forces with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen – which was the creation of the first Big 3 in recent years in the NBA.

The Boston Celtics will be honoring Kevin Garnett by retiring his number and raising it into the rafters on March 17

Throughout his six seasons in Boston, Garnett was an unstoppable force with the Celtics:

  • 5x All-Star
  • 4x All-NBA Defensive
  • 1x All-NBA
  • 1x Defensive Player of the Year (2008)
  • 1x NBA Champion (2008)

It’s fair to say that, even though it was Pierce who was the team captain, it was Garnett who was the leader of the team. He brought and demanded a high level of intensity to the Celtics and was a different animal when he got to Boston right in the heart of his prime years.

Garnett came in and seized the golden opportunity he had to play for the Boston Celtics alongside two other future Hall of Fame players in Pierce and Allen. He took the entire city on a six-year ride with him without any hesitation. He easily re-established the winning tradition that Boston Celtics legend Red Auerbach originally created.

Although he didn’t spend his entire career with the Celtics, Garnett will forever be linked as one of the greatest players to ever lace ‘em up in the history of the franchise. With that, the organization will be retiring Garnett’s No. 5 jersey as he will forever be immortalized in the TD Garden.

Garnett’s number being retired, hanging from the rafters has been something that Celtics fans have long waited for. Ever since Pierce’s number went to the rafters in 2018, it was inevitable that the empty square next to No.34 would someday be for Garnett’s No.5.

The Boston Celtics have also enshrined Garnett as one of the greatest players in franchise history by making him part of the 75th Anniversary All-Celtics team.

This is something that the organization has put together in an effort to acknowledge the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team that they compiled this year, to which Garnett was also named, making him one of the greatest players in the NBA history.

Garnett is one of only three players to accumulate at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 5,000 assists throughout his career (Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul Jabbar are the other two players). Garnett is also one of two players to tally at least 1,800 steals and 1,800 blocks in his career – the other player being Hakeem Olajuwon.

The legacy of KG will continue on forever in Boston and in the TD Garden.

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