Kevin Garnett headlines 4 with MN ties on list of best athletes of the 21st century

KG checked in at No. 23 on the list of the 100 best pro athletes.

Dec 18, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett (21) before the game against the Sacramento Kings at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

How great is Kevin Garnett? He's the best player in Timberwolves franchise history, among the long list of elites in Boston Celtics lore, and clearly one of the great professional athletes of the 21st century. In fact, ESPN produced a top-100 pro athletes list of the current century and Garnett is ranked 23rd overall.

The only basketball players ranked ahead of Garnett are Diana Taurasi (21), Shaquille O'Neal (17), Tim Duncan (16), Steph Curry (14), Kobe Bryant (10) and LeBron James (4).

Garnett is one of four athletes with Minnesota connections on the list. The others: Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss (27), Lynx four-time champ Maya Moore (36) and ex-Twins slugger David Ortiz (45).

One could argue that a fifth is current Timberwolves and Lynx minority owner Alex Rodriguez (43), who also happened to be a Minnesota Twins killer.