Kevin Garnett will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday as part of a legendary class that also includes Tim Duncan and the late Kobe Bryant.
Garnett played most of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who drafted him with the No. 5 pick in the 1995 NBA Draft.
But it took Garnett more than a decade to win his first NBA championship, and he did it with the Boston Celtics. The 2007 trade that sent him from the T-Wolves to the C's changed his career and took it to an even higher level.
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During his Hall of Fame press conference on Friday, Garnett was asked what it meant to him to play for the Celtics and win a title for that historic franchise.
"It meant everything, man. You come into the NBA wanting to win, and losing is part of it, but that doesn't mean you have to accept it. Getting with a storied franchise like Boston gave me life, gave me breath and gave me purpose.
"The players that you're playing actually made the experience monumental, made it magical. The city was waiting for something big, or something different to happen versus where it was, and when we went, we just never looked back.
Boston Celtics
"The fan base in Boston was over the top, man. People would follow you home, stand outside your gate when you got home. People wanted to pump your gas. The fan level in Boston was just another level. I learned to embrace it.
"My only regret in any of this is that I should've came to Boston a little earlier. But other than that, it was magical."
Garnett only spent six seasons in Boston but quickly established himself as a franchise legend, winning one championship in two NBA Finals appearances. He also won the 2008 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Going into the Hall of Fame won't be the only honor Garnett receives in the short term. The Celtics also plan to retire his No. 5 to the rafters at TD Garden.