Kevin Garnett's No. 21 jersey will have a permanent place in Minnesota Timberwolves history. The franchise announced this Friday that it will retire the Hall of Famer's number after the game he will play against the Boston Celtics on February 28 at the Target Center.
The ceremony will be the second such tribute in the Timberwolves' 37-year history. The only precedent corresponds to number 2 of Malik Sealy, who was Garnett's partner and close friend and died in a car accident in 2000.
The recognition will come during a season-long celebration that Minnesota will highlight the impact Garnett had on the franchise, the state of Minnesota and a generation of basketball fans.
“It will be the centerpiece of a season-long celebration honoring Garnett's extraordinary impact on the Timberwolves, the state of Minnesota and an entire generation of basketball fans,” the team said in a statement.
A historic figure for Minnesota
Garnett built practically the entire first stage of his career in Minnesota. There he played his first 12 seasons before being sent to the Celtics in 2007. In Boston he won his only NBA championship, in 2008, during his first season with the franchise.
His bond with the Timberwolves was extended again in 2015, when he returned to the team to play there for the final season of his 21 years in the league.
The power forward, who is currently 50 years old, maintains the historical leadership of the organization in several statistical categories. No one has scored more points, gotten more rebounds, distributed more assists, stolen more balls or recorded more blocks with a Minnesota jersey.
He is also the only player in Timberwolves history to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player award.
That recognition came in the 2003-04 season, when Garnett led Minnesota to the Western Conference finals. Before reaching that stage, the team had made eight consecutive appearances in the playoffs between 1997 and 2004.
The match chosen to retire his number will also have a special component: it will be against Boston, an organization that has already retired another of its numbers. The Celtics retired Garnett's No. 5 in 2022.
From the estrangement with the former owner upon his return
For several years, Garnett had a distant relationship with Glen Taylor, former owner of the Timberwolves. The situation changed after the arrival of new owners, including former baseball player Alex Rodríguez and Marc Lore.
The new administration reestablished ties with Garnett and brought him on board as a franchise ambassador last year. His return to the Target Center occurred in April, during Minnesota's final game of the 2025-26 regular season.
Now, the recognition will be much greater.
The new owners described the decision to retire the number 21 as the highest distinction that the organization could grant him for his career.
“Retiring the number 21 is the ultimate recognition of everything (Garnett) has meant to this franchise and our fans,” Rodríguez and Lore said.
