SUMMARY
- Kevin Garnett played in the NBA through 21 seasons with the Timberwolves, Celtics, and Nets.
- The 15x NBA All-Star earned an estimated $334.3 million throughout his career.
Kevin Garnett was one of the toughest athletes to play against in the NBA during his time. Popularly known as “Big Ticket” he is widely considered as one of the greatest power forwards the league has ever seen. Garnett entered the league as the fifth overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. He went on to play for 21 seasons until he retired in 2016. He was fortunate enough to be part of eras that were extremely dominant for various reasons.
Garnett played for three teams, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Brooklyn Nets. It was during his time with the Wolves that he established himself as a tough competitor. But it was only after joining the Celtics that he won a title in 2008. KG was also named league MVP in 2004 when he averaged 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game. The 15x NBA All-Star was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2008 and even won the All-Star Game MVP along with other accolades.
Kevin Garnett earned $334.3 million over 21 seasons in the NBA
The Timberwolves had the honor of welcoming Kevin Garnett into the NBA. He was offered a decent entry-level contract worth $5.3 million over three years. It gave him a base salary of $1.79 million per season. He was eventually offered a rookie extension for six years worth $126 million. Garnett was set to earn an average salary of $21 million per season until the 2002-03 season.
Kevin Garnett During The 2000s (𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝟳𝟱):
▪️24.3 PTS
▪️13.6 REB
▪️5.3 AST
▪️1.5 STL
▪️1.8 BLK
▪️55.4 TS% (+𝟮.𝟭 𝗿𝗧𝗦%)
▪️+12.5 ON-OFF NET SWING
▪️+7.5 BPMThis level of production for an ENTIRE decade with the indicators to boot is all-time great stuff. Insane player. pic.twitter.com/bGTFZ5NUUG
— 𝗕𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘🚨 (@bmore_TM) February 18, 2024
Then in 2003, the Wolves player agreed to a five-year $100 million veteran extension. This was valid until the 2007-08 season. However, he ended up signing another $51.3 million extension and then got traded to the Celtics in 2007 where he won his first championship. In 2012, Boston offered him a $36 million three-year extension. He remained with Boston through the 2012-13 season and got traded to the Nets and then back to the Wolves for 1.5 seasons each. In 2016, he retired from the sport. He has earned an estimated $334.3 million via NBA contracts.
Kevin Garnett set up a deferred salary system with the Celtics
During his time with the Celtics, Kevin Garnett made a brilliant financial move. He set aside $35 million from his contracts with the Celtics as deferred payments. The deal was that he would get paid $5 million over seven years after retiring from the league (from 2017 until 2024).
Kevin Garnett retired from the NBA in 2016, but set up his deal with the Celtics so that he’d get paid $5 million every year until this year (2017-2024).
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) February 20, 2024
It was a smart way of ensuring that he could financially support himself post-retirement for a good amount of time. Garnett also had multiple endorsements with Adidas, Nike, and AND1 shoes as well. The Hall of Fame is known for investing in startups, properties, and other businesses, which has only added to his current net worth of $130 million.