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MINNEAPOLIS -- Kevin Garnett has decided to retire after 21 seasons in the NBA, leaving a legacy as one of the best defensive players in league history and one of the games most influential and intense competitors.Garnett posted a farewell video on Friday, four days before the Minnesota Timberwolves are set to open training camp. He narrates the short, black-and-white video that shows him walking alone through Target Center with sunglasses on.Im just thankful. I cant even put that into words, Garnett says. Im just thankful. Im just thankful for everybody and the love. I never would have thought that people love me like this. But, for it to be reality is just something else, man. Man.Garnett informed the Timberwolves of his decision to retire Friday. The team will waive the franchise icon, which will allow him to collect his entire $8 million salary for the 2016-17 season.The San Antonio Spurs made the same move with Tim Duncan when he retired this summer.It has been a real joy to watch KG come into the league as a young man and watch him develop his skills to become one of the very best in the NBA, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said in a statement. I have treasured the opportunity to see him grow as a leader. I wish him continued success in the next chapter of his life. His Minnesota fans will always cherish the memories he has provided.Team president and coach Tom Thibodeau, who coached Garnett as an assistant with the Celtics during their title-winning season in 2007-08, said in a statement Saturday: His fierce competitiveness, his unequaled passion for the game, and the many ways in which he cared about this team was truly special. KG is without question the all-time best player to wear a Minnesota Timberwolves jersey, and he is also one of the best ever to play the game.The 40-year-old Garnett put the Timberwolves on the map by turning one of the most hapless franchises in professional sports into a perennial playoff team.Garnett came into the league straight from high school in 1995, the first player to do so in two decades. He was a skinny 7-footer with a bright smile and a versatile game when the Timberwolves took a chance and plucked him from Chicagos Farragut Academy with the fifth overall pick.His success opened the door for a new generation of teenagers to pour into the NBA.The decision was considered a risk at the time, but Garnetts success paved the way for Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tracy McGrady to follow him.Some of them, like James, Bryant and Jermaine ONeal, were wildly successful. Others like Korleone Young, Kwame Brown and Eddy Curry flamed out.The influx of youth into the league prompted the NBA to adopt a rule that required players to play at least one year of college, and that wasnt the only major change brought about in part because of Garnett.Through his basketball career, Garnett insisted on being listed at 6-foot-11 even though he was at least 2 inches taller. He didnt want to be pigeon-holed as a big man who needed to stay around the basket when he was so much more.Known as the Big Ticket, Garnett could handle the ball, shoot it from outside, take an opponent off the dribble and post up as well while being able to guard all five positions. He was one of five players to play at least 50,000 minutes, and his practice habits are the stuff of legend.Garnett also made more than $330 million in his career, the most by any player in league history, and owners dug their heels in during a lengthy lockout in 1997 after a 21-year-old Garnett signed a six-year, $126 million deal.He won the MVP award in 2004 after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals and later teamed with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to revive the Celtics as an Eastern Conference power. Garnett played six seasons after being traded to Boston after spending his first 12 seasons in Minnesota.As a Celtic, Garnett won his only championship ring in 2008.Everything changed the day Kevin arrived in Boston, Celtics co-owner and managing partner Wyc Grousbeck said in a statement. From that moment we knew we would get to the Finals and have a chance to win. Ive never met such a relentless competitor or such a great teammate.He was unyielding on the court, bumping his head on the basketball support while muttering to himself and working up a sweaty lather before the opening tip. One of his trademark moves was to block the shot of an opposing player who tried to get a freebie after a foul was called. The message was clear: Nothing was going to be easy with him prowling the paint.Very few players can affect an organization like Kevin did here in Boston, both on and off the court, Celtics president Danny Ainge said. He led our team by example every day with his drive, his passion, and his relentless commitment to winning. While always putting team ahead of individual, Kevin earned his place among the greatest players in Celtic and NBA history.He spent a forgettable season and a half with the Brooklyn Nets before the late Flip Saunders convinced Garnett to agree to a trade to return to Minnesota at the deadline in 2015.During his second stint with the Wolves, he served as a mentor to youngsters like Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine, instilling in them a sense of intensity and professionalism that helped lay the foundation for what the team hopes is a breakout year for the upcoming season.You know how much Im gonna miss playing with you and just simply having you around, Towns wrote on Instagram . Congrats on having one of the greatest careers the game has ever seen. We talked. I know what I must do. Ill take it from here.Garnett had contemplated returning for a 22nd season, which no player has ever done. But knee issues limited him to just 85 games over the past two seasons, and after Saunders died from Hodgkins lymphoma before last season, Garnett lost the man he trusted most in the organization.Garnett spoke often of his desire to one day get into ownership with the Wolves, but it remains unclear if that is still possible after Saunders passing. The Wolves have new basketball leadership in coach/president Tom Thibodeau and GM Scott Layden, and Garnett has little sway in the organization now that Saunders and previous coach Sam Mitchell are gone.That would be a lot up to him, Taylor said. Things have changed so much and does he still want to do that? We certainly will have the opportunity to talk about that. Theres a lot of good reasons to do it and Im open to it.Garnett finishes his NBA career as one of three players with 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists. The others are Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.Garnett was the NBAs rebounding champion for four straight seasons from 2003-04 to 2006-07. The only players all time with longer such streaks are Dennis Rodman (seven straight) and Moses Malone (five straight).Kevin Garnett is one of the fiercest competitors our league has ever seen, commissioner Adam Silver said. He held himself to the highest standard of preparation and performance for a remarkable 21 seasons. On behalf of the NBA family, I thank Kevin for his sustained excellence and the enormous impact hes had on the game.As the Instagram video concludes, Garnett says: We going to be all right, man ... I dont expect this to be easy. But so far, so good. Stay tuned.Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Stats & Information was used in this report. Kyrie Irving Shoes For Sale . The defence is doing its part, too. 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Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade is going home, making what he called an extremely emotional and tough decision on Wednesday night to leave the Miami Heat after 13 seasons and sign with the Chicago Bulls.Wade will sign a two-year deal with the Bulls, one that will pay him about $47 million. Miami offered $40 million over two years for Wade to stay in the uniform that hes worn his entire career, the one in which he was an All-Star 12 times, a champion three times and the NBA Finals MVP in 2006 when his rise to superstardom was just truly beginning.And hes taken that uniform off now for the final time.This was not an easy decision, but I feel I have made the right choice for myself and my family, Wade wrote in a letter to Miami, released to The Associated Press.It ends a second consecutive summer of will-he-or-wont-he talk and worry in Miami, which was able to keep him last summer after contentious negotiations led to a $20 million, one-year deal. The Heat spoke with him on Wednesday in New York in an effort to keep him, the same day that Wade also took meetings with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets.Whether Chicago ever got into the same room with Wade was unclear on Wednesday night. What was clear was that whatever the Bulls said, and however they said it, was enough to get him out of Miami this time, after they missed on him twice before.And even more clear was that the lure of home -- just as it was for Wades close friend LeBron James two years ago, when he left Miami to go back to northeast Ohio and rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers -- was too strong this time to ignore.Watching the Bulls growing up inspired me at an early age to pursue my dream of becoming a basketball player, Wade wrote in the letter. My most treasured memories were watching my dad play basketball on the courts of Fermi Elementary School and developing my game at the Blue Island Recreation Center. I have never forgotten where I came from and I am thankful to have an opportunity to play for the team that first fueled my love of the game.He was beloved in South Florida, where the county was even once renamed Miami-Wade County instead of Miami-Dade for a time in 2010 during the summer when Wade managed to convince Chris Bosh and James to join him and build a team that would go to the NBA Finals four consecutive times. His jersey has been one of the NBAs biggest sellers for years, even though he never changed cities or numbers. It was always Heat on the front, 3 on the back.That is, until now.Wade -- who averaged 19 points last season -- felt he was not getting the respect he deserved last summer when he opened talks with the Heat. And then this offseason, the Heat prioritized talks with Hassan Whiteside (who has agreed to a $98 million, four-year deall) and went on an ultimately futile pursuit of Kevin Durant (who has been critical of Wade in the past, sparking a conflict that played out on social media).ddddddddddddThe 34-year-old Wade joins a Bulls team that has a new point guard in Rajon Rondo -- who Wade has had some on-court heated moments with in the past -- and All-Star shooting guard Jimmy Butler. The Bulls have plenty of time to figure out how to make it work, and were going through some logistics on Wednesday night to clear the cap space that will be necessary to sign Wade when the NBAs offseason moratorium on player movement ends Thursday.The Heat surely had a Plan B in case Wade left, but clearly wont be the same team.Bosh still faces a most uncertain future because of the blood clots that ended his season at the All-Star break in each of the past two years. Udonis Haslem, Wades teammate and co-captain in Miami for all 13 of their pro seasons, may move elsewhere as well. Of the 14 players who appeared in the 2014 NBA Finals for Miami, only Bosh is under contract with the Heat for next season.Its a new day for Wade, which he obviously wanted.Its a new era for the Heat, one they surely werent ready to see start quite yet.Never thought Id see the day DWade wasnt in Miami. Crazy, Brooklyn Nets guard Shane Larkin, who played his college basketball at the University of Miami, wrote on Twitter.Wade is Miamis career leader in games, minutes, field goals, field goal attempts, free throws, free throw attempts, assists, steals and points. Hes even second in blocked shots, perhaps the most impressive stat of all considering Wade is listed at 6-foot-4 -- which is generous.He did a popular Gatorade ad in 2007 built around a poem he wrote to the game. From Robbins, Illinois, is how Wade began that ode, referring to the Chicago suburb where he endured a difficult upbringing and used basketball as his hope for a better life.Wade found himself writing again Wednesday, this time to say farewell.I started my NBA career with the Miami Heat in 2003 and it has been an honor to have played with them and help build a winning franchise with three NBA championships, Wade wrote in the letter released Wednesday. I look back with pride and amazement at all we have accomplished together. I want to express my gratitude to the Arison family, Pat Riley, Coach Erik Spoelstra, the coaching staff, and the entire Miami Heat organization.From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank the Miami community.Arison thanked Wade on Twitter for a great 13 years.Youve had a tremendous impact on our community and our organization, Arison wrote. We wish you all the best. ' ' '