Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett to retire
Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett tries to cut off a drive by Clippers point guard Chris Paul during a game last season.
Kevin Garnett, the best player in Minnesota Timberwolves history, is expected to announce his retirement soon after reaching a buyout agreement with the club, multiple sources have confirmed.
Garnett led the down-trodden Timberwolves to eight consecutive playoff appearances, starting in1997, after becoming the first player in 20 years to jump from high school to the NBA.
Garnett, who waived his no-trade clause in order to reunite with the Timberwolves in February 2015, will not play out the second year of his two-year, $16.5-million contract.
He was selected the NBA’s most valuable player in 2004 after leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals. He later teamed with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to revive the Boston Celtics as an Eastern Conference power, winning an NBA title in 2008 over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Garnett, 40, leaves Minnesota having played 970 of his 1,462 NBA games there. During his 21-year career, he scored 19,201 of his 26,071 points and took down 10,718 of his 14,662 rebounds for Minnesota.
“Thank you KG,” tweeted ASM Sports, Garnett’s longtime agency. “Loved on & off the court, a role model, & one of the most influential players to ever play the game.”
Garnett, who could have become the first player in NBA history to play in 22 seasons, is one of five players to play at least 50,000 minutes.
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