A person with knowledge of the decision tells The Associated Press that Kevin Garnett has informed the Minnesota Timberwolves that he will retire after 21 seasons.
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Garnett posted the video on Friday amid reports he and the Timberwolves had reached a deal on a buyout of his $8 million contract for the upcoming season.
The Timberwolves franchise has been around for 28 seasons – 14 with Garnett on the team, 14 without him.
The likes of National Basketball Association power players Rajon Rondo, Lebron James, Chris Paul and Ricky Rubio took to Twitter to send their regards and show respect to a man who showed his love for the game from the first to the very last day of his storied career. He would get traded to Boston where he would form the Big 3 along with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, winning his first and only championship in 2008.
He was selected the NBA’s most valuable player in 2004 after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals. I wish him continued success in the next chapter of his life.
In contrast, Garnett was decidedly less willing to push the envelope with more formidable figures such as Carmelo Anthony and Metta World Peace-players with actual track records of on-court fighting. After two seasons with the Nets, he returned to the Wolves in 2015. Known as the “Big Ticket”, Garnett could handle the ball, shoot it from outside, take an opponent off the dribble and guard all five positions. “The NBA thus will lose three all-time greats “ Garnett, Duncan and Kobe Bryant “ to retirement in the same offseason. “He held himself to the highest standard of preparation and performance for a remarkable 21 seasons”. He finishes his career having averaged 17.8 points and 10.0 rebounds a game across almost 1,500 regular-season games.
“We’re just going to let the process work itself out”, Jackson said during a news conference at the team’s practice facility. And while he didn’t mention the word “retirement” directly, he added that he “didn’t expect this to be easy, ‘ right before the video ended with the word “Farewell” in the middle of the screen”. I know these are the declining days of my playing days, but I think I have so much more to bring.
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World Peace has played in 966 games for six National Basketball Association teams during his career, which began with Chicago in 1999. But so far so good. He jumped straight from high school to the pros in 1995 and started 43 games as a 19-year-old for the Timberwolves during his rookie year, averaging 10 points and six rebounds in just under 30 minutes per game.
