"Long overdue" - Timberwolves acquisition prompts NBA fans to breathe sigh of relief as Alex Rodriguez & co. settle Kevin Garnett's beef
Kevin Garnett has been a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame member since 2020, and his reputation as a fiery personality, who isn't afraid to embrace conflict, hasn't changed since he walked away from the NBA. However, one of the relationships that was damaged was between him and the Minnesota Timberwolves, which could be resolved soon.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Alex Rodriguez and the new Minnesota ownership group want to reconnect with Garnett and repair their relationship. Garnett is arguably the greatest Timberwolf of all time and the new owners have expressed interest in retiring his jersey.
NBA fans reacted to the news and the reception was positive as they argued that Garnett deserves the recognition for everything that he has done for the franchise. The former 15-time All-Star started his career with the Timberwolves in 1995 and spent 14 of his 21 NBA seasons with them, returning to the team later in his career to serve as a mentor for then-rookie Karl-Anthony Towns.
One fan argued that Garnett deserved to have his jersey retired for years and is happy that it might be on the horizon.
"Long overdue—KG deserves that jersey in the rafters!" the fan tweeted.
"He shouldn’t have had to wait for new ownership to have it done. He’s by far their best and greatest player ever. Kevin Garnett WAS Minnesota. And they’ve done him dirty for far too long," a fan wrote.
"Really such shame when ownership creates a barrier between the franchise legends and their fans. Wilpons did it with the Mets too, and Cohen immediately fixed it," one fan said.
Others voiced their confusion, asking why Minnesota hasn't retired Garnett's jersey.
"Wait, so they never thought about retiring his jersey?" one fan commented.
"some say he's mid?" a fan wrote.
"what beef did they have?" another fan wrote.
What is the conflict between the Timberwolves organization and Kevin Garnett?
Even though he didn't spend his entire career with Minnesota, Kevin Garnett is commonly listed along with players such as Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki as being players identifiably aligned with their respective cities. The front office ruptured what otherwise would have been a post-career deal bringing him to the team after a deal to do so was reneged upon.
Flip Saunders, the Timberwolves coach when Garnett arrived in the NBA, was one of the bigger influences behind the team's plan to bring him into the front office, died in 2015. Minnesota backed out of the agreement with Garnett, which he interpreted as an insult, both to him and to Saunders' memory.
With a new ownership group led by former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, perhaps now is the time for the team to look back and talk to Garnett. To Timberwolves fans, Garnett is more than deserving of having his jersey retired as he is remembered for his greatness while wearing a Minnesota jersey.