Key Takeaways
- The Minnesota Timberwolves will retire Kevin Garnett’s iconic No. 21 jersey on Feb. 28, 2027, after a home game against the Boston Celtics, finally cementing his legacy in the Target Center rafters.
- The move follows years of tension between Garnett and former owner Glen Taylor, with new owners Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore rebuilding the relationship and bringing Garnett back as a team ambassador.
- Garnett, already honored by the Celtics with his No. 5 retired, becomes just the second Timberwolves player to receive the distinction after Malik Sealy, recognizing his MVP run, eight straight playoff trips, and Hall of Fame career launched in Minnesota.
Kevin Garnett is finally getting his place in the Target Center rafters.
According to The Grio, the Minnesota Timberwolves will retire Garnett’s iconic No. 21 on February 28, 2027, following a home game against the Boston Celtics. The ceremony will close one of the longest-running pieces of unfinished business between the Hall of Famer and the franchise he transformed during his career.
Garnett became an NBA champion with Boston in 2008 after leaving Minnesota, and the Celtics retired his No. 5 in 2022. Now, nearly five years later, the Timberwolves will give Garnett the same honor in the city where he became an NBA superstar.
Garnett will be only the second player in Minnesota Timberwolves history to have his number retired. No. 2 was previously retired in honor of Malik Sealy, Garnett’s former teammate and close friend who died in a car crash in 2000.
For years, there was little indication Garnett’s ceremony would ever happen.
His relationship with the Timberwolves deteriorated after his playing career, following a falling-out with former owner Glen Taylor. Garnett made it clear he did not want his jersey retired under Taylor’s ownership, leaving No. 21 conspicuously absent from the rafters despite Garnett owning virtually every major franchise record.
That changed after Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore took control of the organization. The new ownership group began rebuilding the relationship with Garnett, eventually bringing him back into the fold as a team ambassador with a business-focused role involving community initiatives, fan engagement, and content development.
The thaw became visible in April when Garnett returned to Target Center for Minnesota’s final regular-season game, his first appearance at the arena since 2018.
Minnesota took Garnett fifth overall in the 1995 NBA Draft, making the high school phenom one of the players who helped reopen the NBA-to-prep pipeline. He spent his first 12 seasons with the Timberwolves and carried the franchise through its most successful stretch at the time, including eight consecutive playoff appearances.
The high point came in 2004. Garnett was named NBA MVP after averaging 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game while leading Minnesota to 58 wins and its first Western Conference finals appearance.
He was traded to Boston in 2007 and immediately helped the Celtics win a championship before eventually returning to Minnesota in 2015. Garnett retired in 2016 after 21 NBA seasons and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
