The lightning rod who became a legend

For fans of a certain age, the last hurrahs of generational sports icons are inevitably tinged with melancholy - like a whispered reminder of our own mortality.

We saw it in 1999 with Wayne Gretzky, followed a few years later by Michael Jordan and Mario Lemieux. Over the past month we watched as Li Na and Derek Jeter drew the curtain on careers that will be trumpeted for decades.

Now it's Kevin Garnett's turn.

The NBA's upcoming Global Games between the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings in Shanghai (Oct 12) and Beijing (Oct 15) in all likelihood will be the last opportunity for Chinese fans to demonstrate their appreciation for Garnett's enormous contribution to the game over the past 19 years.

Last week the Nets' 38-year-old power forward said that while he seriously contemplated retirement during the offseason, he is returning with a full commitment to a 20th NBA campaign. Only three other players - Robert Parrish, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kevin Willis - have reached that plateau. Parrish and Willis share the record, with 21.

"I've always said that when I don't have the motivation to come in here it will be time to move, but that's not the case yet," Garnett told the New York Post. "I'm very motivated. I still have something to give to this game, to this team ... and my mindset has always been to be better than I was last year."

What sets Garnett apart from Gretzky, Jordan and Jeter is that from day one of his career he was - and remains - a lightning rod for the full spectrum of fan reaction, largely due to his own foibles. By being less than perfect he comes across as more like the rest of us.

Where we rarely heard The Great One, MJ or The Captain utter anything more controversial than the occasional gripe about officiating, Garnett has never shied away from articulating exactly what's on his mind - usually to mixed reviews.

A famous example was his take on leading the Minnesota Timberwolves into Game 7 of their 2004 semifinal against Sacramento: "I'm loadin' up the pump. I'm loadin' up an Uzi. I got a couple of M16s, a couple of 9s. I got a couple of silencers, and I'm loadin' the clips," he gushed in a TV interview.

Even in a society steeped in gun violence, Garnett's analogy was reviled by most commentators as disturbingly insensitive, while others opined it was just KG speaking his mind.

Then there's the money.

Garnett was only 19 when he landed a record six-year, $126 million contract with Minnesota in 1997, and he has gone on to earn more than any player in NBA history (excluding endorsements) - more than $400 million.

He later signed another $100 million deal with the Wolves before the salary cap was amended in 2005. Salaries were subsequently capped at 57 percent of the league's basketball-related income and contracts were clawed back.

To this day, many blame Garnett's 1997 deal for triggering the NBA lockout the following season, but he made no apologies. Why should he? His refreshing brashness - backed up by mind-boggling stats - gave the league a much-needed adrenaline jolt that he has managed to maintain for the better part of two decades.

In 2007 Garnett was traded to Boston, where he spent the next six seasons adding to his Hall of Fame numbers - and his bank account. Before last season the Celtics dealt Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to Brooklyn for five players and three first-round draft picks.

If the Global Games turn out to be China's last in-the-flesh look at one of basketball's living legends, Garnett will exit in style.

In addition to being a 15-time All-Star, league MVP (2004), Defensive Player of the Year (2008) and league champion (2008), he is the only player in NBA history to reach 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 steals and 1,500 blocks, and the only one to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game for nine consecutive seasons (1998-2007). Is it any wonder that KG's is the top selling jersey in the NBA's largest international market?

For millions of Chinese fans, No 2 will always be No 1. This is their chance to say thanks for the memories.

Murray Greig is a Canadian author who once drained two consecutive free throws. Contact him at murraygreig@chinadaily.com.cn