Kevin Garnett calls Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor a 'snake'
It appears that Kevin Garnett has no interest in seeing his No. 21 jersey hanging from the rafters of Target Center, which he called his home court for 14 NBA seasons.
In an interview with Shams Charania of the The Athletic, Garnett spoke candidly about why he's "not entertaining" the idea of having his jersey retired in Minnesota. In short, it's because of bad blood with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.
Garnett told Charania that he wants nothing to do with Taylor because Taylor allegedly backed out of plans that would've had Garnett become part-owner of the franchise – a deal that apparently crumbled after Flip Saunders died in 2016.
"At this point, I don’t want any dealings with Glen Taylor or Taylor Corp. or anything that has to do with him," said Garnett. "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 (expletives). I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like."
In 2017, Garnett told the Associated Press that "obviously me and Glen (Taylor) don't see eye-to-eye on a lot of things and that's how it's going to be."
Garnett's powerful words come after Taylor publicly congratulated Garnett for his election to the Hall of Fame.
“This is an honor so well deserved. We congratulate Kevin on being selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. From the day we drafted him in 1995, we knew there was something special about him that Minnesota had never experienced before. I’ve watched Kevin grow on and off the court and will forever be grateful for his contributions to the Timberwolves organization. He was beloved by our fans in a way that only few players experience and will always have a place at Target Center. To be elected in his first year of eligibility validates the impact he had on basketball in Minnesota, the NBA, and around the globe. We are so happy for him to receive this recognition.”
Garnett's No. 5 jersey will be retired by the Boston Celtics next season, while the only retired numbers at Target Center will remain those of Malik Sealy (No. 2) and Lynx superstar Lindsay Whalen (No. 13).
Garnett is Minnesota's all-time leader in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals and minutes and he led the Wolves to eight playoff appearances. The franchise has just one playoff appearance without him.
