The Minnesota Timberwolves will retire Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett’s No. 21 jersey and send it to the rafters at the Target Center on Feb. 28 after a game against the Boston Celtics.
Selected by Minnesota directly out of high school with the No. 5 overall pick in 1995, Garnett 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.
“Over the course of his career, Kevin Garnett became much more than the greatest player in Timberwolves history. He became the embodiment of what it means to compete, to lead and to represent Minnesota,” team owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez said in a statement.
“Bringing Kevin back to the organization as Team Ambassador has allowed us to celebrate his legacy in a new and meaningful way, and retiring No. 21 is the ultimate recognition of everything he has meant to this franchise and our fans. We are thrilled to celebrate this incredible moment with Kevin, his family, our fans and everyone who helped make his legacy possible.”
Garnett endured a frosty relationship with the team for nearly a decade, in part due to former owner Glen Taylor’s refusal to retire the 15-time All-Star’s jersey. He returned to the team in December as an ambassador.
“Minnesota is home. That’s never changed. This is where it all started for me, so seeing No. 21 go up in Target Center and sharing that moment with the fans, my family, teammates, coaches, and everyone who’s been part of this journey means everything,” Garnett said at the time.
“But I don’t see this as the end — I see it as a new beginning. Retiring the jersey is just the start of the next chapter in Minnesota, about building something that lives beyond the game.
“… But 21 being retired is forever — and it’s also just the beginning of something new. I can’t wait to be back in that building, feel that energy, and celebrate it with everybody. Let’s get it.”
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. He 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 will become just the second player in Timberwolves’ franchise history to have his number retired, joining former teammate Malik Sealy, whose No. 2 was retired following his passing in 2000.
Garnett was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2020.
