Timberwolves to finally retire Kevin Garnett's jersey as legend returns in new role

The wait is finally over. No. 21 will soon be heading into the Target Center rafters.

February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; NBA great Kevin Garnett is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The wait is over. Timberwolves legend Kevin Garnett is finally expected to have his No. 21 jersey in the rafters of the Target Center.

Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett is reuniting with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Lynx in a new, all-encompassing role involving business, community efforts and content development, sources told ESPN. His long-awaited No. 21 Wolves jersey retirement will also happen in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/DedJhDezd3

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 18, 2025

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Garnett is expected to join the Wolves and Lynx franchises in a new, "all-encompassing role involving business, community efforts and content development," according to the report.

The Wolves' legend had a poor relationship with longtime owner Glenn Taylor. He has improved his relationship with the franchise under new owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. His Timberwolves jersey will be retired after his number was sent to the rafters of the Celtics' TD Garden in 2022, despite playing more than 13 seasons in Minnesota, compared to only six in Boston.

Garnett is the only player to win the NBA MVP with the Timberwolves. The award came in the 2003-04 season, when he averaged 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game on 49.9% shooting from the field. He led Minnesota all the way to the Western Conference Finals that season.

He finished his career as a one-time MVP, 15-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA, four-time rebounding champ, 2007-08 Defensive Player of the Year, 12-time all-defense, and he was a member of the NBA's 75th anniversary team, as a top 75 player in league history. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

Garnett is the Timberwolves' all-time leader in nearly every major statistic, including points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He's currently the only player in league history to lead a franchise in those five statistics. His No. 21 jersey will now join Malik Sealy and Flip Saunders as the third Timberwolves-related banner hanging in the Target Center rafters. A specific date has not yet been revealed for when the ceremony will happen.

Garnett has rarely been seen in Minnesota in any capacity since his retirement from basketball in 2015-16. Details of his new role with the franchise have not been revealed, but it could be an opportunity for him to be seen more at the Target Center.

Anthony Edwards has an incredibly bright future, but Garnett is still undoubtedly the greatest player in Timberwolves franchise history. It was long overdue for the franchise to recognize that, and have his jersey hanging in the rafters. Lore and Rodriguez continue to do all the small things right as their tenure begins as majority owners of the franchise.