KEVIN Garnett announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA.
The 40-year old made the announcement via a video he posted on Instagram on Friday (Saturday, Manila time).
"I'm just thankful, man. I can't ever put that into words, I'm just thankful," said Garnett in the voiceover. "I'm just thankful for everybody and the love — I never would have thought that people'd love me like this, but for it to be reality is just something else, man."
"I don't expect this to be easy but so far so good. Stay tuned," he said.
The black and white video of showed him walking inside an empty arena before fading to black with the word, "Farewell."
Garnett entered the NBA straight out of high school as a 19-year-old and was selected fifth overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The move opened the doors to other gifted youngsters that include Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal.
The lanky 7-foot multi-faceted forward reinvented the big man position. He amassed several accolades that include a regular season MVP in the 2004-05 season when he led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals. He is a 15-time All-Star, was part of nine All-NBA teams and 12 All-Defensive squads.
Garnett left Minnesota in the 2007-08 season to join the Boston Celtics, where playing with fellow stars Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, they led the franchise to its league-leading 17th NBA championship at the expense of rival Los Angeles Lakers.
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