When people think about the Minnesota Timberwolves of the past, the first person that should come to mind is no other than Kevin Garnett. The Timberwolves legend made the team relevant, and after years and years, Garnett was never given a chance for his jersey to be retired.
That is now set to change, as Garnett is reuniting with the Timberwolves and the Lynx in an all-encompassing role involving business, community efforts, and content development, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. That also means that he will finally get his No. 21 hung up in the rafters.
“Garnett had been distant from the Wolves organization since his playing career ended in 2016 due to a fallout with Glen Taylor, refusing to have his jersey retired, but built a rapport with new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez and the sides found common ground on a reunion,” Charania wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
This should be a no-brainer for the Timberwolves, as Garnett is the franchise's all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks, and he is currently the only NBA player to lead a franchise in all five of those categories. He's also the only player in Timberwolves history to win an MVP.
Article Continues Below
Garnett led the Timberwolves to eight straight playoff appearances between 1996-97 and 2003-04.
After their agreement to buy the Timberwolves in 2021, Lore and Rodriguez made it a priority to strengthen the franchise's culture and relationship with alumni players and staffers, which included Garnett.
The Timberwolves have some big plans for the future, as they plan to create a new arena in downtown Minneapolis over the next decade.
As for Garnett, this should be a feel-good moment for him, especially when looking at how much he has meant to the franchise. He definitely deserves to have his jersey lifted in the rafters.