Minnesota Timberwolves tickets

'Kevin Garnett is the prototype for the NBA player of the future. He's already one of the greatest players to have played the game." -NBA television analyst and former All-Star center Bill Walton on Kevin Garnett. Even before Kevin Garnett earned the 2003-04 NBA Most Valuable Player Award, many considered him the greatest player in the game today. Now that he has officially been recognized as such, his sights are set squarely on winning a championship. In winning the MVP honor, Garnett matched Larry Bird's record of five consecutive seasons averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game. It's not the only exclusive club to which Garnett holds membership.

He had previously led his team, the Minnesota Timberwolves, in all five major statistical categories-points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks-in a season. That was previously accomplished by just two NBA players: Dave Cowens (1977-78 Celtics) and Scottie Pippen (1994-95 Bulls). Those numbers state the obvious: Kevin Garnett has become one of the best all-around talents in the NBA, if not the best. His ability to score, pass, rebound and defend gives his opponents virtually no chance of containing him one-on-one. Kevin Garnett's biography goes as such. Mr. Basketball is the honor bestowed upon the best high school player in a particular state. Garnett was so good, he won it in two states: South Carolina as an underclassman and Illinois as a senior. He was USA Today's Player of the Year in his final prep season at Chicago's Farragut Academy and was drafted fifth by the Timberwolves in 1995.

KG's youth worked against him at times, but his early growth was exponential. In 1997-98, he recorded his first triple-double and became the first Minnesota player to start in the All-Star Game. He notched his first 20/10/5 season two years later, and in 2003 was named MVP of the All-Star Game. Garnett's MVP Award was well-deserved, but it was not even the most satisfying aspect of a 2003-04 campaign in which he set career highs in scoring and rebounding. He topped those averages in the playoffs as the Timberwolves, who had never before won a playoff series, advanced all the way to the Western Conference finals before bowing to the Lakers in six games. "This is a nice foundation for the future," Garnett said.