NBA teams
Fang Yuan, ESPN China 8y

How Kevin Garnett became China's 'pack leader' and a literal star

NBA, Minnesota Timberwolves

How much does the retiring Kevin Garnett mean to Chinese basketball fans? Just check 28 degrees, 34 arcminutes and 15.88 arcseconds in the Taurus constellation. Well, sort of.

Lv Xiaoqian, a municipal government worker in Beijing, admires the Minnesota Timberwolves forward so much that she decided to pay a fee -- one she said was quite expensive -- in May to have a star registered in honor of the power forward.

"I fell in love with him immediately when I first saw him on TV and was attracted by his look and playing style," Lv told ESPN. "Later on, I was drawn ever closer by his story, his character, his personality and the affinity he displays for fans. I couldn't help myself."

Lv, who has been following Garnett since 1998, had been thinking about a retirement gift for him at the end of last season, when she stumbled across the option of buying a star. The business of star buying has been prevalent for decades, allowing people to document a star in the name of their loved ones, celebrities, dignitaries or anyone else by paying a fee. However, the controversial practice is often dismissed as a pure commercial move, with no scientific authenticity.

According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a group of professional astronomers coordinating astronomical research, most stars are cataloged by numbers and their positions on the sky with no commercial transactions involved. Even the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has acknowledged that IAU is the only official agency when it comes to naming stars.

But it didn't matter to Lv, who sees Garnett not only as an idol but also a "spiritual mentor."

"Except for this little star, I couldn't think of anything else to give him as a gift for his retirement." she said. "When I heard that I could register it with a name, I immediately thought of KG. No one else deserves more to be eternally honored in the universe."

Lv isn't alone in her admiration for Garnett. He's considered part of the first generation of NBA stars for Chinese fans. There were only a handful NBA jerseys for sale in the Chinese market in the beginning of 2000s. KG's was there, along with jerseys for Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. Garnett is known as "the pack leader" among many Chinese fans for his dominance and aggressiveness on the court. In 2010, Garnett signed an endorsement deal with ANTA -- a Chinese shoe company -- and started doing tours in the country that attracted huge crowds. Once, that crowd included Lv.

Lv is hoping to make Garnett aware of her purchase. In an envelope given to ESPN, Lv included a star registration certificate displaying Garnett's name, a map purportedly showing the star's position in the universe and some handmade gifts, including a Chinese lucky knot. It also had letters and a DVD with message of love from the Garnett fan club that Lv runs.

"Please help me deliver this certificate to KG himself, and let him know that there is a star belonging to him in the sky," Lv said.

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