The NBA family suffered a tremendous loss on Sunday with the news that Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Flip Saunders passed away at the age of 60 after a battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
A true great of the sport, Saunders was a beloved figure in the basketball community who touched the lives of everyone he encountered. One of the people who was amongst the closest to Saunders throughout their respective NBA tenures was former MVP Kevin Garnett. Saunders coached Garnett from his rookie year in 1995-96 until the 2004-05 season, making eight consecutive playoff appearances together over that time. Their paths would cross again in February 2015 during Saunders’ second stint with the Timberwolves when he acquired Garnett from the Brooklyn Nets for a Minnesota homecoming. The presence of Saunders on the team was widely seen as the main reason why the 15-time All-Star waived his no-trade clause to go play out the final seasons of his career on a rebuilding Wolves team.
Shortly after the news of Saunders’ passing on Sunday, Garnett shared an emotional tribute to his late head coach, mentor, and friend on Facebook. The 2008 NBA Champion posted an picture of himself in a white hoodie, seated with his back to the camera in an empty parking spot with Saunders’ name on it. Garnett’s caption read “Forever in my heart….”
Forever in my heart….
Posted by Kevin Garnett on Sunday, 25 October 2015
An incredibly powerful image indeed.
While Garnett has rubbed a few people the wrong way over the course of his 20-year career with his fiery, abrasive personality and his wildly competitive nature on the hardwood, it’s impossible not to respect him as a person. His sense of loyalty, his old-school mentality, and the adversity he has had to overcome in his life are truly commendable.
Garnett still carries the memory of teammate and best friend Malik Sealy who was killed by a drunk driver in 2000 after leaving Garnett’s birthday party. He was also involved in one of the more touching moments in recent NBA history with another former head coach of his in Minnesota, Kevin McHale, sharing in an emotional embrace with him after the passing of McHale’s daughter.
The message behind Garnett’s tribute on Sunday is simple and one that he speaks for all of us in delivering: Flip Saunders was an incredible man, and he will be deeply, deeply missed.
Image Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
