Timberwolves hire Kevin Garnett, set to retire jersey after sides patch up past

Kevin Garnett is officially coming home.

The Timberwolves announced that Garnett has been hired as a team ambassador and that his iconic No. 21 jersey will be retired at a later date. Garnett called the move “thrilling,” saying he’s excited to be back where it all started.

Ownership echoed that sentiment in a big way.

“The Big Ticket is back,” owners Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez said in a joint statement. “Kevin Garnett is synonymous with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bringing Kevin home has been a priority since we acquired the team. He is the greatest player in franchise history, and this is about honoring our past while building something special going forward.”

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Garnett’s role will be “all-encompassing,” touching business initiatives, community outreach, fan engagement and content development. His jersey retirement is expected to happen within the next year or two.

Garnett’s return has been a long time coming.

A Hall of Famer, Garnett spent 12 seasons with Minnesota from 1995 to 2007, making 10 All-Star teams and winning the league MVP in 2004. He later returned briefly in 2015-16 before retiring.

Despite his love for the fans and the state, Garnett remained distant from the organization for years due to a bitter feud with former owner Glen Taylor.

That relationship fractured after a post-retirement plan fell apart following the death of Flip Saunders. Garnett has said Taylor reneged on an agreement, once stating bluntly that he would never do business with him again.

Everything changed once control of the franchise shifted. After a lengthy legal battle, Lore and Rodriguez were approved as majority owners this summer, clearing the way to repair ties with Garnett.

While his official title has not been finalized, Garnett will not be involved in basketball operations, which remain under Tim Connelly.

Still, for Wolves fans, this is the big one. Kevin Garnett is back where he belongs.