On Wednesday night, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that Minnesota Timberwolves big man Kevin Garnett was expected to reach a contractual buy out and subsequently retire. Approximately 48 hours later, the Minneapolis Star Tribune learned that the future Hall of Famer would indeed be calling it quits Friday evening.
The NBA world had ample time to react to yet another legend’s departure from the game before any concrete word came. We did, too.
As basketball fans across the globe mourned his retirement and celebrated his wholly unique career, Garnett finally made it official. How? Not with a whirlwind tour that involved whining and dining à la Kobe Bryant, and not with a brief statement from his organization like Tim Duncan. Instead, Garnett simply posted a short video to his Instagram account, thanking his fans and lamenting the fact that his on-court journey is finally finished after 21 seasons.
“We’re gonna be alright man,” he reassures. “I don’t expect this to be easy, but so far so good.”
At least the ever-emotional Garnett seems to be at terms with his new reality. As for the rest of us? We’ll just have to take KG at his word, but it’s safe to say the NBA definitely won’t be the same without him.
