“He’s a genetic freak. All the great ones are.”
—NBA great Doug Collins

“He’s very outgoing. Just one of the guys. He definitely does not have the big head. Not Kevin.”
—NBA veteran Antawn Jamison

“This guy has as much energy as anyone I’ve ever seen. He attacks the boards like he’s in a gym all by himself.”
—Former NBA coach Rudy Tomjanovich

“His know-how for the game, his feel for the game—that’s something you can’t teach. You either got it or you don’t. He’s got it.”
—Hall of Famer Magic Johnson

“When I first saw him, he had the best athletic skills for his size of anyone I had ever seen at that stage. He’s really thin, but it doesn’t matter. With his agility and coordination, he can give people trouble at the power forward, small forward and center positions.”
—Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor

“Offensively, he has that wonderful turnaround jump shot and those follow-ups around the basket. He’s one of those guys who, because of his size and athletic ability, creates real difficult defensive matchups.”
—Hall of Famer Jerry West

“He’s a little loud, a little high energy, but he’s cool. I have more respect for him now because I’ve never seen anyone who wants to win as badly as he does.”
—All-Star Tim Duncan

“No joke, you enjoy his company. He makes everybody better.”
—All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim

“God has really put something together with him. His size and his ability—he’s probably one of the most unique players in the world.”
—Former All-Star Allan Houston

“He’s great for our game. He’s not a taker. He gives everything back. He’s as good a teammate as you could possibly have and as great a kid to coach as you could ever want.”
—NBA coach Larry Brown

“He’s raised his level. He’s obviously the MVP.”
—Former All-Star Charles Barkley

“He’s one of the most unselfish go-to guys I’ve ever seen. He’s a classic.”
—Former teammate Joe Smith

“He’s one of the best teammates you could have.”
—Smith

“Kevin Garnett is the prototype for the NBA player of the future. He’s already one of the greatest players to have played the game.”
—Broadcaster Bill Walton

“I hope he doesn't end up like I did. When you get hurt, it becomes drudgery.”
—Former Celtics great Kevin McHale

“He’s long, energetic, and silly. He has fun out there.”
—Former All-Star Grant Hill

“Every coach I know would cut off his arm to have him.”
—NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo

“Kevin Garnett is a guy who cares about your feelings. He respects the last guy on the team.”
—Former teammate Sam Cassell

“Would I like to have him on my team, right now? Hell, yeah. He's the best competitor I've ever been around.”
—Cassell

“Winning a championship is now a legitimate and realistic goal.”
—Celtics GM Danny Ainge

“Was he worth it? Absolutely. He won us a championship. He changed our culture.”
—Celtics GM Danny Ainge