Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett was born on this date in 1976. He is a retired Black professional basketball player.
He was born in Mauldin, S.C., just outside Greenville, to O'Lewis McCullough and Shirley Irby Garnett. He has two sisters, Sonya and Ashley. In his hometown, he is remembered as the tall kid with the ball who pushed the curfew at Springfield Park, shooting baskets until midnight or alone in the dark. His friends say he had to play, and basketball was in his blood.
Garnett's father loved the game and was also an outstanding player. Garnett grew up with a stepfather who did not encourage him to play basketball; his mother wanted him to study more and attend college. When Garnett tried out for the Mauldin Mavericks, he didn't tell his mother, and she learned about it after the season had started. Garnett was so good by his junior year in high school that tickets to all Mavericks' games sold out. People stood in hallways outside the gym to listen to him play.
Garnett went on to graduate from Farragut Academy High School in Illinois. He grew up as a Los Angeles Lakers fan and said Tony Dorsett and Magic Johnson were his sports heroes. The then-struggling Minnesota Timberwolves drafted him with the fifth pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. In 2007, Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics.
Since turning pro after high school, he’s earned the status as one of the wealthiest-paid players in the NBA. Newsweek listed Garnett as one of the 100 most influential people of the current decade. He is a spokesperson for Adidas, American Express, And 1, and the American Dairy Association.
Garnett launched his OBF (Official Block Family) clothing line in 2002. In 2003, he won the mid-season All-Star game MVP award and led the NBA in double-doubles (points and rebounds) for 2003. He also created his foundation with an eye for the larger community. During the 2003/2004 basketball season, Garnett won the NBA's MVP award and took his team to the NBA Western Conference finals.
Garnett started 4XL to provide young people with a road map for achievement. 4XL provides exposure to opportunities, access to business and community leaders, and the skills required to be academically, professionally, and personally successful. Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics in 2007. He helped lead them to their first NBA championship in his first year with the Celtics since 1986. After playing for the Brooklyn Nets, he returned to the Minnesota Timberwolves; Garnett retired from basketball as a player in 2016 and was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in 2021.
