Last week, Kevin Garnett joined Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan as the headliners for this year’s Hall of Fame class, which will ostensibly be inducted in late August in Springfield, though social distancing protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic have threatened any such public gatherings scheduled in the near future.
Garnett is in the rarefied air of no-brainer, first-ballot candidates whose career achievements distinguish him from his peers. His legacy will largely be defined by his time with the Boston Celtics, but Garnett’s early days in Minnesota are where he developed into one of the most dominant, two-way stars of his generation.
Boston is set to retire his jersey next season, although the same cannot be said for Minnesota, as Garnett has an ongoing squabble with Timberwolves’ owner Glen Taylor stemming back to his return to the franchise in 2015 toward the end of his career. As a result, Garnett apparently has no interest in a retirement ceremony as things stand now, ripping Taylor as “a snake.”
Via Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Glen knows where I’m at, I’m not entertaining it. First of all, it’s not genuine. Two, he’s getting pressure from a lot of fans and, I guess, the community there. Glen and I had an understanding before Flip died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip. For that, I won’t forgive Glen. I won’t forgive him for that. I thought he was a straight up person, straight up business man, and when Flip died, everything went with him.
There’s no reason to complain. Just continue to move on. My years in Minnesota and in that community, I cherish. At this point, I don’t want any dealings with Glen Taylor or Taylor Corp. or anything that has to do with him. I love my Timberwolves, I’ll always love my guys, I’ll always love the people who fuck with me there. I’ll always have a special place for the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota in my heart. But I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake mu’fuckas. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like.
Flip Saunders had been instrumental and bringing Garnett back into the fold so that he could retire in Minnesota and bring his career full circle. At the time, Garnett had expressed interest in becoming part of the ownership group, though Garnett reportedly felt like Taylor reneged on that plan after Saunders’ death.
Now, it’s unclear whether the two sides will ever be able to mend fences. Garnett led the league in rebounds for four straight seasons at the peak of his Timberwolves days and won a regular-season MVP.
