Boston Celtics ’18th championship indeed took us back to the 2008 Championship Game, which saw the C’s back in competition after 22 long years. This is because the Celtics had someone different. The Kid who stepped into the league and changed the whole system. He bent rules! We are talking about The Kid, who was part of the Celtics’ Big Three with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Even if he is called by so many nicknames, the Boston Celtics champ Kevin Garnett is popularly called The Big Ticket, of course.

The truth behind how the Kid became The Big Ticket lies in the initial years of his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Did you know that it was the fans who gave him the nickname? To understand the Big Ticket, it’s important to understand his legacy with the team.

Why is Kevin Garnett called the Big Ticket?

The 15x NBA All-Star was drafted as the fifth overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Garnett, who was named Illinois Mr. Basketball that year, ushered in a new era with his debut in the league.

The wave was probably triggered when Timberwolves picked Garnett but it caught the pace in 1997. Garnett signed a big $126 million deal with the Wolves that caused a stir across the league. This was the largest deal in NBA history at the time. He soon became the first superstar of the team, not only because of his skills but the major impact he brought with him. In fact, many suggest that it might have indirectly influenced the salaries of NBA players.

Following that, in the 1998-99 season, the league introduced a maximum salary cap and rookie pay scale for players. In this shortened season, Mr. Basketball USA gained attention, averaging 20.8 points per game. And that was just the beginning. The arenas were always packed with people eager to watch him play.

Some even joked that Garnett was probably the only reason the arenas for Wolves games were full. While Garnett won his first championship title with the Boston Celtics much later, it was his time with the Wolves and his unending popularity that earned him the moniker of The Big Ticket.

He was also given the nickname The Franchise during his time with the Twin City franchise. KG won the Gold Medal with the National team in 2000 and was named the 2003 All-Star MVP. The Big Ticket made a great impact on every team he was ever a part of, hence the plethora of nicknames. But it’s always the stories behind these interesting names that hold the most importance.

KG or Big Ticket, he entered into the league bringing a major change. As said before, the champ was the first player to join the pro league right after high school. A year later, we saw several other NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neal do the same. Much later LeBron James and Dwight Howard joined the group of high school draftees. However, the one to open the door of opportunities was Garnett.

Kevin Garnett created a 12-year-long legacy with the Minnesota Timberwolves

Garnett’s presence was felt right in his rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He wasn’t even afraid to trash talk His Airness. The basketball legend has always proudly detailed how he successfully managed to get on the nerves of Michael Jordan with his trash-talking skills. Hene, fans slowly began to take notice of the rookie star. 

Playing alongside veteran players Sam Mitchell and Tom Gugliotta, Garnett was a scoring phenom. Averaging 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds, KG, managed to make it to the All-Rookie Second Team. He averaged 19.8 points and 11 rebounds in 970 career games with Minnesota. The Kid rose to fame among fans soon. Along with stats, he was also bringing in historic changes. 

“He was that new-generation, transcendent player at the time. Because nobody saw nothing like that, the combination of speed, athletic ability, versatility at the time. He was the first,” Pierce said about Garnett. He has not only played alongside Garnett but he has played against him as well. Still, The Truth shares a great bond with his best buddy.

In 2020, the ex-Minnesota Timberwolves star was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Big Ticket was included in the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. His versatile skill set, excelling in ball handling, shooting, defending, and playmaking—was what captivated the fans. 

He is also the only Wolves player to have won an MVP award. It was only right that Minnesota fans came up with a creative nickname. When it comes to NBA players’ nicknames, there’s much more creativity noticed in the 90’s. The colorful flair was evident in The Answer for Allen Iverson and The Glove for Gary Payton.

Where have all the creative NBA fans gone?