It's hard to believe the Minnesota Timberwolves still have not retired Kevin Garnett's No. 21 to the rafters at Target Center, especially after all he gave to the franchise in his 12 seasons with the team.
The legendary power forward is by far the best player in Timberwolves history, and last weekend he was officially named as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame's 2020 class, along with former rivals Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant.
Download the MyTeams app for the latest Celtics news and analysis
Garnett recently did an interview with The Athletic's Shams Charania, and when asked about the possibility of having a number retirement ceremony in Minnesota, he didn't hold back in his comments on T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor.
Garnett returned to Minnesota for the last season-and-a-half of his career, and according to Charania, he had talked with Minnesota exec Flip Saunders about potentially having an important role with the franchise in retirement. Saunders died in October of 2015, and instead of honoring the plan he and Garnett discussed, Taylor hired Tom Thibodeau to run the franchise as head coach and president of basketball operations. Garnett clearly remains upset at how it all went down.
Glen knows where I’m at, I’m not entertaining it. First of all, it’s not genuine. Two, he’s getting pressure from a lot of fans and, I guess, the community there. Glen and I had an understanding before Flip died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip. For that, I won’t forgive Glen. I won’t forgive him for that. I thought he was a straight up person, straight up business man, and when Flip died, everything went with him.
There’s no reason to complain. Just continue to move on. My years in Minnesota and in that community, I cherish. At this point, I don’t want any dealings with Glen Taylor or Taylor Corp. or anything that has to do with him. I love my Timberwolves, I’ll always love my guys, I’ll always love the people who (expletive) with me there. I’ll always have a special place for the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota in my heart. But I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake (expletive). I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like.
Garnett won't have to wait long for a number retirement ceremony, even if it won't happen in Minnesota.
Boston Celtics
Find the latest Boston Celtics news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
The Boston Celtics, who acquired Garnett in a blockbuster trade with the Timberwolves in the summer of 2007, will retire his No. 5 to the rafters of TD Garden at some point during the 2020-21 season. Garnett won a championship in Boston during the 2007-08 campaign, his first year with the team. The impact he had on and off the court in Boston was immense.
You'd have to assume the Timberwolves will retire Garnett's No. 21 at some point. Time heals all wounds, as the saying goes. But for now, Garnett can look forward to what should be an awesome ceremony in Boston next season.