Kevin Garnett

His passion was unmistakable, and often manifested itself in his pregame rituals, trash talking, and raw athleticism that bordered on the unimaginable. Kevin Garnett ushered in a new era of basketball in the spring of 1995 when he announced that he would be the first in what was to become a tidal wave of players to make the leap from high school to the NBA. The brash move changed the game forever. The fifth overall pick in the 1995 Draft played 21 seasons, earning 15 All-Star nods and nine appearances on the NBA’s First Team All-Defense. The 2004 NBA MVP led the league in defensive rebounding five consecutive seasons and when he retired in 2015 ranked second all-time in defensive caroms. Garnett served as the marquee player for 12 seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves before joining the Boston Celtics in 2007 with his sights firmly set on winning his first NBA championship. Anchoring the Celtics defense, Garnett teamed with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to form a new Big Three to lead the storied franchise to banner number 17.