Garnett bids farewell after 21 NBA seasons

NBA great Kevin Garnett is set to retire after 21 seasons, a championship and MVP honours.

Former NBA MVP and champion Kevin Garnett is set to retire after 21 seasons, bidding farewell to fans via a video posted to Instagram on Friday.

He reportedly reached a buyout agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending a remarkable run with the team, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.

Garnett arrived as a fresh-faced 19-year-old kid and leaves as a highly decorated 40-year-old NBA veteran.

"I'm just thankful, man. I can't ever put that into words, I'm just thankful," Garnett says in the voiceover on the video.

"I'm just thankful for everybody and the love - I never would have thought that people'd love me like this, but for it to be reality is just something else, man."

At the peak of his career, Garnett was as good as anyone at the power forward spot, including the recently retired Tim Duncan.

A 15-time All-Star, Garnett made the All-NBA team nine times, four times as a first-team selection.

Garnett posted his best numbers during the 2003-04 season, scoring 24.2 points and grabbing 13.9 rebounds while blocking 2.2 shots per game en route to winning league MVP honours and leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals.

But his best performance came in the 2007-08 season when he left Minnesota and joined the Boston Celtics to team up with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to end the franchise’s 21-year NBA title drought.