During the 1995 NBA draft, the NBA welcomed a player drafted straight out of high school for the first time in 20 years. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Kevin Garnett at No. 5 overall. As great as that moment was, it came with its challenges for the rookie as everyone looked forward to his performance and the pressure of being a highly rated prospect — or risk being labeled a bust.
However, Garnett felt right at home almost immediately in Minnesota, and he credited a savvy veteran for taking him in and showing him how the league works.
"I had two guys that I gravitated to or that I kind of understood right away," KG said on "ALL THE SMOKE." "J.R. Rider [Isaiah Rider] because J.R. Rider was the same Bop, you know what I'm saying? … I felt with [Rider] and vice-versa. We was cool man."
Developing his style
Garnett was one of those players who could get under anyone's skin, a master of trash talk that he perfected over his 20-year NBA career. And it didn't just come overnight; same as his basketball skills he worked on his smack talking since the beginning of his basketball journey.
He discovered that some players are better left unprovoked—especially when that player is Michael Jordan . On February 27, 1996, Garnett's Timberwolves took on Jordan's Bulls. It was a tight game, with Chicago holding a slim six-point lead after three quarters.
Feeling confident, KG started hyping up his teammate Isaiah "J.R." Rider, telling him to keep "killing" Jordan in their matchup. Garnett was fired up, but Rider, who knew better, tried to calm the rookie down, sensing the danger of poking the bear. But KG, being KG, wouldn't stop.
It didn't end well for Minnesota. Jordan, who was within earshot of the whole exchange, decided to remind the young Wolves exactly who they were dealing with. The Bulls turned the heat in the fourth quarter, dropping 38 points and cruising to a 120-99 victory.
Jordan finished the night with a game-high 35 points as if to teach Kevin a lesson. That night, the rookie learned that, when it comes to MJ, silence is golden. He was learning the good and the bad.
"We were the young boys, so we was seeing how to do it. [Rider] had been in the league a couple of years already, and he was doing it… he would throw his knowledge to me… and I picked up on everything," Garnett added.
Related: Mark Cuban on why Dallas didn't draft Giannis in 2013: "Had we gotten Giannis, we'd have never gotten Luka"
Full legend status
The Hall of Famer was the heart and soul of the Timberwolves during his stint, and from the moment he stepped on the court, he made his presence known. The superstar forward led the Wolves to postseason success they hadn't sniffed before. In 2004, he guided the franchise to the Western Conference Finals and won the NBA MVP award that season.
In Minnesota, he averaged 19.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 970 games. Standing at 6'11" with a wingspan that seemed to stretch across the court, he was a nightmare for opponents, with his height and length making him a rim-protecting stalwart.
Despite being possibly one of the most underrated players in the "all-time great" conversation, Garnett's legacy in Minnesota was somewhat overshadowed because a championship eluded him. But everything changed when he moved to Boston in the 2007–08 season.
Garnett finally got his ring, forming a big three with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce , winning the NBA championship in his very first season with the Celtics.
Related: "KG is another one who lacks #clutchgene" - When Kevin Garnett's former teammate slammed his clutch performance
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