When Kevin Garnett was traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics on July 31, 2007, it was the end of an era.
But just because KG left the Wolves didn’t mean that Wolves’ fans stopped being KG fans.
I remember being a senior in high school and wearing a Garnett Celtics jersey throughout the 2008 playoff run.
My friends and I would watch Boston highlights during our break (it was called “Cookie Break.” Go health!). The Wolves were starting a massive rebuilding process. The Celtics, though, were our new team. We didn’t know much about anyone not named Paul Pierce or Ray Allen, but we had our guy KG. It legitimately felt like it was our team.
When the Celtics won the 2008 championship, it kind of felt like ours. Especially when KG gave “Sota” a shout.
It was Garnett’s only championship. The Celtics made two more deep runs (including another trip to the Finals), but 2008 was the magical year.
Garnett likely won’t be suiting up tonight because of a sore right knee. He’ll be on the bench for a team he led to the playoffs with for eight seasons and opposite a bench that he helped deliver a title.
He spent six seasons in Boston, averaging 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
He went to Brooklyn with Pierce in what was a failed experiment before accepting a trade back to the Wolves last February.
We don’t know if this is Garnett’s last season. He hasn’t made a decision yet, or at least he hasn’t made it public like Kobe Bryant has.
If this is Garnett’s last go, he should reflect on the fact that he’s been able to change the history for two franchises for the better. Not many players can say they’ve done that for one. But with Garnett, if we’ve learned anything at all, we’ve learned that anything is possible.
