Hall of Famer and franchise legend Kevin Garnett appears to be reuniting with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
ESPN reported on Thursday that Garnett will rejoin the team in a new “all-encompassing role involving business, community and fan-engagement efforts and content development.”
Garnett, 49, has had a frosty relationship with the franchise since his 2016 retirement, due in part to a fallout with former owner Glen Taylor for his refusal to retire the 15-time All-Star’s No. 21 jersey.
In addition to bringing Garnett back into the fold, new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are planning to retire Garnett’s jersey sometime in the next two seasons, per the report.
Garnett, drafted by Minnesota directly out of high school with the No. 5 overall pick in 1995, is the Timberwolves’ all-time leader in points (19,201), rebounds (10,718), assists (4,216), steals (1,315), blocks (1,590) and games played (970). He is the only NBA player to rank No. 1 in all those categories for a franchise.
Garnett was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2003-04 and guided the Timberwolves to eight straight postseason appearances from 1996-97 to 2003-04.
He departed after the 2006-07 season and won an NBA championship in his first season with the Boston Celtics in 2007-08. Garnett returned to Minnesota in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 19, 2015, and announced his retirement on Sept. 23, 2016.
The Celtics retired Garnett’s No. 5 jersey on March 13, 2022.
Garnett was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2020.
