On Sunday, the WNBA announced its 2025 MVP, and it went to Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson. It is the 29-year-old’s fourth time winning top honors, a new record for the league. Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx forward, was the runner-up. Wilson received 51 first-place votes while Collier garnered 18. It’s not the first time a Minnesota basketball player finished as the runner-up for MVP, as Kevin Garnett, while with the Timberwolves, finished second in voting twice in the NBA.
KG finished second to Shaq in 1999-00
Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, Garnett did take home league MVP in the 2003-04 season. Before that, though, Garnett came in second in MVP voting twice.
The first time was during the 1999-00 season. It was Garnett’s fifth year in the league, in his age-23 season. The Timberwolves finished 50-32 and lost in the first round in seven games to the Portland Trail Blazers.
During the regular season, Garnett missed just 1 game, appearing in 81. He posted averages of 22.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.6 blocks. The 6-foot-11 power forward shot just shy of 50% from the field (49.7%). Not only was he runner-up for MVP in 1999-00, but he finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting while being named to the All-Defensive first team.
The MVP voting wasn’t close that year, though. Shaquille O’Neal of the Los Angeles Lakers won that year and received 120 of the 121 first-place votes (Allen Iverson received the other despite finishing seventh). It was a dominant year for the Diesel, where he won the scoring title, averaging 29.7 points, and his Lakers won the title. He also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, only behind Alonzo Mourning.
KG was the runner-up to Tim Duncan in 2002-03
The 2002-03 season also saw Garnett finish as the runner-up for league MVP, and it was a much closer vote than 1999-00. That year, Minnesota had a 51-31 record and fell to the Lakers in six games in the opening round of the playoffs.
This season saw Garnett play in all 82 outings. His averages for the season consisted of 23.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.6 blocks. KG came in third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and again was named to the All-Defensive first team (his fourth-straight year doing so).
Six different players receive at least one first-place MVP vote that season. Garnett had 43 of them, only behind the MVP winner, Tim Duncan’s 60. This was the second consecutive season that Duncan won MVP, and he was also named Finals MVP that year as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the New Jersey Nets in six games during the NBA Finals.
The Big Fundamental had averages of 23.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.9 blocks. He had a fourth-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting and earned a spot on the All-Defensive first team.