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Kevin Garnett Unsure on Jersey Retirement; Role with Timberwolves
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- Kevin Garnett Unsure on Jersey Retirement; Role with Timberwolves
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Kevin Garnett is the greatest Minnesota Timberwolves player of all time. Someday, if he continues at his current rate, Anthony Edwards will surpass him, but that day has yet to come… at least from a statistical standpoint.
KG finished his 14-year Wolves career with 19,201 points, 10,718 rebounds and 4,216 assists, in 970 games played. Ant is in the middle of his 6th NBA season , and still has a ways to go before he catches the ultimate MN Timberwolves legend, at 10,050 points, 2,181 rebounds and 1,724 assists, in 414 games.
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They do have a few things in common, however. Most notably, neither Garnett nor Edwards have their jersey hanging in the Target Center rafters. Of course, that makes sense for Ant, since he still has the best years of his career still ahead of him.
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Still waiting for Kevin Garnett's return to MN Timberwolves
On the other side of the coin, we all continue to wait patiently for Kevin Garnett to come back to the organization and stand on the floor while his No. 21 jersey is raised up to the ceiling of Minnesota's home arena, where it should have been a long time ago.
We all know why Garnett's jersey hasn't been retired yet. But with Glen Taylor now gone, KG should be clear for a return, right. Well there has been some movement in that department. Back in December , the team announced Garnett's return, which has since gotten KG's seal of approval.
21 IS BACK. pic.twitter.com/uKs6Qme96B
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) December 24, 2025
However, nobody is quite sure what KG's new role with his old team will be, including Garnett himself. Speaking on his own "KG Uncensored" podcast this week, Kevin's former Celtics teammate Paul Pierce asked the Wolves' legend what his new role back in MN is all about.
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Unfortunately, we never got an answer to the question. Instead, Garnett responded with about 1.5 minutes of hemming, some hawing, and a few not-so-concrete ideas on what his new job with the Timberwolves MIGHT look like.
KG has no idea what his "new role" with Timberwolves really is
In fact, KG went as far as to say that his "return" to Minnesota is really just a trial period, where the two sides can feel each other out and see if there's a possible fit.
The Big Ticket did NOT mention anything about when his number might be raised… or if it will happen at all (keep reading). Pierce even tells KG, "they gotta get your statue up", a comment that Garnett didn't even acknowledge.
KG : "We locking back in, man. We getting back in tune…Alex [Rodriguez] and Mark [Lore] got, you know, this is just to see if both sides are f**kn' with each other.
Pierce :"Man, they gotta get your statue going, Lord."
KG : "I like their vision, and how they seeing the Wolves for the next 10 to 15 years. So it's fittin', you know what I'm sayin'? I think this first part of ambassadorship, to kind of reestablishing myself. I haven't been back to Minny in a minute."
During their discussion, Kevin Garnett gave no concrete plans about his future with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Pierce tried to push him on possible roles, like being in the draft room or mentoring players. To that, KG sounded intrigued, but not sold.
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The only real hint he gave us, was that he wants to get his hands dirty on the practice floor with Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid . In other words, he wants a role where he can do face-to-face instruction.
The way Garnett talked about it, though, it felt like more of a pipe dream than a plan. The only thing that is clear is that KG has little to no idea what he will be doing for the MN Timberwolves, or if it's something that will stick long-term.
Pierce : "What type of stuff are you gonna be doing?"
KG : "I'm everywhere, I'm everywhere. I'm jumping into the community cause I know the community."
Pierce : "You going to the draft room? They need to get your opinion on these drafts, that'd be lit. just to have your imprint, your DNA on all of that."
Garnett : "Uhhh, we're gonna talk, we'll see… that would be dope. I want to be able to influence some of the players. I love McDaniels, I love Naz Reid. Obviously, Ant-Man is Ant-Man. I think I can bring something. So it's just a good look man."
The similarities between Edwards and Garnett are pretty obvious. They are both unapologetically themselves, which is why fans are so drawn to both players.
Out of all the interesting tidbits in the above video, it was the back and forth between Garnett and Pierce at the 1:56 mark that probably raised my eyebrows the most.
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Kevin Garnett jersey retirement not guaranteed?
Again, Pierce goes back to the Target Center jersey-raising ceremony that still hasn't happened. We can definitely count Paul as one person who will be in attendance whenever that night in Minneapolis eventually comes.
Garnett, however, did not seem as excited for the moment, telling his friend, podcast partner and former teammate, "We'll see, we'll see…"
"I can't wait until the day, I'm definitely going to be in the building when they put you up there. I got to be in the building. They got to raise that [up]. That's a long time coming."
"We'll see. We'll see. We'll see how it go. We'll get there."
As a Minnesota Timberwolves fan that was born the same year as the team (1989), I must admit that KG's "hard to get" act is starting to wear thin on me, personally.
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Has nobody told Kevin Garnett that Glen Taylor no longer owns the Wolves? If so, then why is he still saying, "we'll see" on a jersey retirement ceremony? If that's what he was waiting for, then all this hesitation should be gone.
Eventually, Pierce tried convincing Garnett by bringing back the pregame routine that used to take place between KG and the fans at Target Center before home games, a nightly worship ceremony that still lives in Paul Pierce's head to this day.
You got to understand. You are like the cement. You are the foundation of what's been built out there. You know what I'm saying? Cuz me as a player, when I used to go out there, I will never forget playing against the Wolves.
We went there once a year and it was like a ceremony in there cuz you used to raise your hands like this. Everybody used to stand up like it was church, Lord. I used to be looking like, 'damn it's lit out here.' It was like you had a real cult like fan base out there. I was looking like damn.
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