On this day in Boston Celtics history, iconic Hall of Fame big man Kevin Garnett was born in Greenville, South Carolina. Garnett was one of the most successful players to go directly from high school (and one of the first to do so in decades) to the NBA after spending his high school career at Chicago’s Farragut Career Academy.
He entered the 1995 NBA draft and was selected fifth overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves, with whom he found limited success. While he made the playoffs in eight of his 12 seasons with the team, eventually Garnett became frustrated and was dealt to Boston in the summer of 2007.
He won his first championship at the end of his first season with the Celtics, but injuries and bad luck kept KG from having more than one more NBA Finals appearance (2010) with Boston.