Kevin Garnett Gives Shout-Out to Large, Shirtless Fan with 'KG' on His Chest

Much has been made of Kevin Garnett's return to Minnesota and the regime of phone-dunking intensity he'll bring to the franchise.

Expectations are that Garnett's presence will be a coach Boone redux: There will be no smiling because basketball is not fun. And rest assured, it's only a matter of time until an iPhone 6 goes john-spelunking in the Minnesota locker room. That will happen.

Reality states, however, that basketball is fun, and even Garnett couldn't scowl at the sight of one large and joyous fan at the Target Center on Wednesday night.

After a moving reintroduction to the Timberwolves faithful, Garnett took the floor for tipoff. He tried to maintain a business-as-usual demeanor, but all that washed away when a large human being with "Welcome Home, KG" painted on his chest stood up and began gyrating.

Garnett smiled and acknowledged the man with a raised fist, and as these sights tend to nest in your mind forever, he gave the fan his just due after the game.

"I had to give [the fan] a big shout-out," Garnett said, per USA Today's Pat Borzi. "That was probably one of the craziest things I've seen in 15 years."

The Timberwolves went on to defeat the Washington Wizards, 97-77, and I, for one, give all the credit to Garnett and the shirtless wonder. 

Minnesota needed a spark to turn around its blazing ditch-fire of youthful inconsistency. Bringing in KG was a smart move, and now all it'll have to do is clear out courtside space for his good-luck charm.

Dan is on Twitter. He might be more scared when Garnett smiles.