10 Greatest NBA Players Straight Outta High School
4. Kevin Garnett
Truth in Numbers: 17.8 PTS / 10 REB / 3.7 AST / 22.7 PER / 15x All-Star / 9x All-NBA / 12x All-Defense / 1x DPOY / 1x MVP / 1x Champion
-Hall of Fame Class of 2020-
The man credited with opening the floodgates of prep-to-pros in the 90's and 00's: Kevin Garnett. When Minnesota took him with the 5th pick in the 1995 draft, Garnett became the first high school prospect to make the jump to the NBA in 20 years. He spent his first 12 seasons with the Timberwolves, leading them to 8 playoff appearances and from 2003-2007 he led the league in rebounding (all while averaging over 20 ppg). One of the greatest and most intense power forwards of all time, Garnett also secured the 2003-2004 MVP Trophy.
Without a championship, Garnett was more notorious for his massive $127 million contract he signed in 1997. An amount unheard of at the time, it caused a bit of controversy and was considered to be a major issue for the '98-'99 lockout season. By 2007, KG had grown frustrated with the franchise and opened up to the idea of being traded. In another first, 7 players were traded for Garnett, and now he was a member of the Boston Celtics along with Paul Pierce and recently acquired Ray Allen.
The move paid off immediatly as "The Big Three" would win the '08 championship and KG earned Defensive Player of the Year. Despite injuries and age, they were able to return to the finals one more time, falling to the 2010 Lakers. In 2013, he and Pierce were traded to the Nets forming what was supposed to be an unstoppable starting five with Brook Lopez, Deron Williams, and Joe Johnson. Two years later, Garnett returned to Minnesota before retiring in 2016.