Basketball Hall of Fame: 5 Players who could get inducted to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019

#3 Kevin Garnett

New York Knicks v Boston Celtics - Game Four

One of the most polarizing figures in the NBA, Garnett continues to divide opinions even after retirement. Mind you, he is a surefire Hall of Famer, being in a select group of players that have won a title, an MVP and a DPOY. But he may also be the biggest non-injury related "what if" ever.

The thought of Garnett leaving Minnesota in his absolute prime is as tantalizing a thought as it is terrifying. Kobe and Duncan had MVPs for teammates, but the Timberwolves were horribly mismanaged and Garnett was a high school recruit who had to learn on the fly.

The man was incredibly futuristic, with today's crop of 7 foot tall unicorns molded on his frame - a big man who could spread the floor, defend all positions and shoot threes and nail winning shots outside of the paint (see: Durant, Porzingis, Jokic, Markannen, Karl Anthony Towns for relevance) One title in '08 (beating Kobe, no less) is a bit of a letdown for a player who gave so much to the game. Regardless, Garnett made sure that "Anything is possible" is remembered as the best celebratory quote, ever. (with humble apologies to "Cleveland, this is for you!")

The "Big Ticket" also made contract negotiations a great deal peskier for GMs and team owners and signed the first big contract of that time. An adversary to Duncan almost his entire career, he as the opposite of the Big Fundamental in almost every way: fiery, passionate, reveling in trash talk and just pure intensity. He also mentored the Greek Freak and Karl Anthony Towns.

For benchmarking: this guy was the only player who matched Kobe's passion on the court and dedication to the game off it.