Kevin Garnett is a legend in the land of 10,000 lakes for the skill and passion he displayed on the basketball court during his 21 year playing career, 14 of which for the historically troubled Minnesota Timberwolves. His list of achievements is jaw dropping and is highlighted by 15 NBA All-Star selections, All-star MVP, Olympic gold medalist, regular season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and a world champion while representing the Boston Celtics post Minnesota. All of which has landed his 6 foot 13 inch frame in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. And now he can add author to his resume.
His new book titled KG: A to Z: An Uncensored Encyclopedia of Life, Basketball, and Everything in Between is a basketball fan must read. However, Minnesotans should read with caution.
KG’s recount of his interview with Michelle Tofoiya immediately after game 6 of the 2008 NBA finals was like tearing open an old wound for the North Star State. With confetti falling all around him and a Boston Celtics Championship hat in hand, he tilted his head back and screamed, “Anything is possible!” It was a passionate release that sent a shiver down the spine of countless viewers.
But what the camera didn’t fully capture is in the moment after the infamous statement passed, KG tipped forward in overwhelming emotion and whispered to himself, “except in Minnesota.”
Now every self respecting Wolves fan under the age of 40 knows KG was speaking nothing but the truth and had always been way too good for the Timberwolves franchise. But it still hurts. It’s like knowing your really attractive girlfriend is way too good looking for you, and you know that eventually she is going to find out and leave. But then years later, after she leaves, she calls you up to tell you that’s exactly why she left. Yeah, it’s just like that.
The state of Minnesota celebrated KG throughout his first 12 years in Minnesota, we celebrated him that night in 2008, we celebrated him when he returned in 2014, and we will always celebrate him as one of “us”. But those nearly inaudible words will forever ring in Timberwolves lore, “except in Minnesota.”
