Nickname: Da Kid, The Big Ticket, The Franchise, KG

D.O.B: May 19, 1976

Birth Place: Mauldin, SC, USA

Age: 31

Height: 7' (er, 6'12")

Weight: 253lb

Shoe Size: 15 (14, according to Trenton Hassell)

Vertical Leap: Not publicized (likely 36" to 40" )

High School: Mauldin High School, Farragut Academy

College: None

Pro Team: Boston Celtics

Years Pro: 12

Position: Forward Every damn position

Jersey #: 5



• has "Blood Sweat Tears" and "Sky's The Limit" tattooed on his right upper arm, along with a picture of two hands cradling a globe. Has "Malik Sealy RIP" (teammate and friend who died in car accident) tattooed on his right fore-arm

• has his initials "KG" tattooed on his left upper-arm, as well as "Ashley" (his little sister) written below a picture of a scorpion

• trademark: wears a rubberband on his left wrist. As a kid he couldn't afford jewelry or expensive watches -- while other people could. So he threw on a rubberband just to have something to himself

• wears number 21 because, growing up, he idolized St. John's Malik Sealy

• has two sisters, one older (by six years) one younger: Sonya and Ashley, respectively

• says his mother , Shirley Irby Garnett, is his inspiration. Garnett is Shirley Irby's maiden name, and she never married KG's father. KG's father wasn't around when KG was growing up. At the time, KG's stepfather was Ernest Irby (though he and Shirley divorced after KG left Mauldin)

• his mother, Shirley Irby, says "It took me 26 hours to deliver him. He was so long. Twenty-three inches."

• best friend is Jaime "Bug" Peters, growing up together in Mauldin SC

• as a teenager, used to bag groceries and clean restaurant bathrooms to earn money

• entered Mauldin High School at 6'7"

• portrayed Wilt Chamberlain in the 1996 HBO movie Rebound: The Legend of Earl The Goat Manigault

• Official Block Family (OBF) is his core group of close friends from SC, who often visits and lives with him in Minnesota.

• the OBF clothing line is set to launch soon.

• includes yoga as part of his training regimen: "Yoga is a big part of my life. It helped me to put everything in balance, not just in basketball. It's good for meditation, because I am an emotional player. Sometimes you have to draw back from that and keep your balance."

• trademark: insanely long arms and terrifying wingspan

• trademark: skinny, long, strong, wiry frame

• despite being listed at 6'11" and 220lb in the Timberwolves media guide and on NBA.COM, he is now 7' and 240lb. 6'11" and 220lb were 1996-1997 figures. His rookie (1995-1996) figures were 6'10" and 217lb

• was the fifth pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, which was held at the SkyDome in Toronto

• frustrated with himself after missing a freethrow, he would viciously pound the ball into his forehead repeatedly. He rarely does that now

• as of November 22, 2003 (including that night's game), KG has 47 career 30+ point games

• as of November 22, 2003 (including that night's game), KG has 67 career technical fouls

• after eight years in the NBA (1995-1996 to 2002-2003), KG has 774 career dunks. And since he's played 640 games in those eight years (including Playoff games), that averages to be 1.21 dunks per game. So if you're watching a Timberwolves game, expect to see at least one dunk from Kevin

• is a self-proclaimed "big music fan," everything from "Anita Baker to DMX;" loves DMX, Jay-Z, Biggie, Nas, and hip hop/rap in general

• ritual: as the last player introduced during Timberwolves' player intro, KG leaves an empty seat to the left him at the end of the bench. This is to honor his friend and Amateur Athletic Union (i.e., Mauldin) teammate Eldrick Leamon, who died in a traffic accident in 1994. As he waits to be introduced, KG sits with his elbows resting on his knees, clasping his hands with his head dipped low. In his own words: "I always envision him sitting right there next to me. That's why I keep the last seat open. I get into this mode that I can't even explain because when I get into it, I don't see anything. I'm in my own little world. The only time I come out of it is when the game is over."

• KG now leaves two seats empty during team introductions, in honor of Malik Sealy together with Eldrick Leamon.

• teammate, friend, idol Malik Sealy was killed in a car crash on May 20, 2000. Sealy was on his way home after attending Garnett's birthday party. Garnett was the last person to see Sealy alive.

• is a ten-time NBA All-Star

• 1994 Mr. Basketball South Carolina

• 1994-1995 USA Today National High School Player of the Year, after averaging an eye-popping 25.2 points-per-game, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks at Farragut Academy

• 1994-1995 Parade magazine All-America First Team

• 1995 Mr. Basketball Illinois

• 1995 McDonald's All-American Game Most Outstanding Player, pouring in 18pts, 11reb, 4ast, 3blk

• won gold for the 2002 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team in Sydney.