It's been a long time coming for the Minnesota Timberwolves to honor one of their biggest legends, but it's finally happening.
The Timberwolves announced that Kevin Garnett, the franchise's first true superstar, will have his jersey retired and immortalized in the rafters of Target Center forever, joining Malik Sealy as the only two players to have their jersey's retired by the Timberwolves, which makes sense considering how young the Timberwolves are in the grand scheme of the NBA.
While Minnesota may not have the most stories history as far as NBA franchise's go, they still have their significant moments and significant players and in that list, Garnett stands tall above them all.
He was drafted fifth-overall by the Timberwolves in the 1995 NBA Draft and played 14 seasons for Minnesota in two different stints, coming home to the Timberwolves in the final season-and-a-half of his career.
A Long Time Coming
The first 12 years he played there were special, averaging 20.5 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. Garnett's dominance defined a generation of Timberwolves basketball and now he's finally getting the recognition he deserves for his time spent in the Twin Cities and as Kendrick Perkins, Garnett's teammate on the Boston Celtics from 2007-2011, it couldn't have come soon enough.
"It's about damn time, but it would mean for Kevin Garnett. He's been waiting on this moment, the city of Minnesota has been waiting on this moment, the organization has been waiting on this moment," Perkins said (via NBA on ESPN).
Garnett won the MVP in 2004 as a member of the Timberwolves and led them to their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 2004, still tied for the furthest that the Timberwolves have made it into the playoffs at all and when the Timberwolves were still finding their legs as a team less than a decade since their founding, Garnett became the superstar they needed to truly cement them as a team that was here to stay.
Garnett As An All-Time Great
Looking at the Timberwolves' all-time stats, Garnett's is at the top of nearly every list, though current star Anthony Edwards may catch up to him one day.
Until then, Garnett stands out as Minnesota's all time leader in games played, points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and triple-doubles, just to name a few, and looking at that list alone, Garnett's impact is staggering.
He was already living on in history when it comes to the record books, but now the Timberwolves are making sure that every time anyone walks into Target Center, they'll see Garnett's jersey in the rafters and never forget what he did for his team for over a decade.