Minnesota Timberwolves News 2015: Kevin Garnett Is 15th Player in NBA to Score 26,000 Points
Kevin Garnett may be a polarizing figure to opposing players, but his legacy as a team player and leader will always define the kind of career he has in the NBA once he hangs it up. The veteran who came to the league as a skinny and untested high school player has had a successful career, and he just became the 15th player in league history to score 26,000 career points, doing it last Saturday in Minnesota's 109-103 loss to Portland.
If Garnett decides to call it quits after this season, it should be a fitting end to a career he started in this same franchise. He played for the Timberwolves for 12 seasons before transferring to Boston in a trade, and later in Brooklyn to become a veteran leader for the young Nets.
The 39-year-old reached the milestone after hitting a jumper in the third quarter of the game, when his Wolves were leading 63-46.
Aside from Garnett, other active players currently on the same list are Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Tim Duncan. While the three are still putting up huge numbers for their respective teams, Garnett, for his part, has accepted a bench role with the Timberwolves, averaging close to 3.0 points a game coupled with 5.4 rebounds.
But the role he's playing in mentoring the young Wolves, especially 2015 first round pick Karl-Anthony Towns, is something that no other big man can provide in this league. As an outspoken individual and fierce competitor, the veteran is expected to contribute more value than what the stat sheet manifests.
The 15-time NBA All-Star is no stranger to achievements as he reaches the twilight of his career. He recently became just the fifth player in the league to have played 50,000 career minutes, and he's expected to add to that as the season is still less than a quarter done.
