Kevin Garnett Unsure About Return to MN — Thinking Bigger Than Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the verge of a majority ownership change for the first time since 1994, when Glen Taylor saved the five-year-old NBA franchise from being shipped off to New Orleans or elsewhere. One year later, the Wolves did something that was mostly unheard of, at the time.

With the No. 5 overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, the Wolves and their new owner selected 6-11, 200 lb high school beanstalk, Kevin Garnett, who had just graduated from Farragut Academy in Chicago months earlier. Back then, drafting a high schooler was considered one of the riskiest top 5 draft picks in NBA history.

The rest, as they say, is history. Garnett played 14 total seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Until Anthony Edwards gets a few more seasons under his belt, KG will be known as the greatest Wolf of all time.

Kevin Garnett: Could shoot, post-up, run the floor, handle, defend any position, protect the rim, alter shots, was athletic, had range, had the foot work, brought major passion and energy to every game and was a straight up DOG who changed games with his presence 💯 #Savage pic.twitter.com/e5S7tHSxII

— Ball Don't Stop (@balldontstop) August 14, 2019

Unfortunately, since originally being traded to the Boston Celtics in 2007, the relationship between the Timberwolves and their GOAT has completely deteriorated, thanks to a three-decade-long feud with incumbent owner Glen Taylor.

Related: Kevin Garnett Goes Off on Glen Taylor Again… “I Don’t Do Business with Snake Mu’F**kas…”

Outside of a brief return to Minnesota for the final two years of his NBA career, which was facilitated by the late, great Flip Saunders, Kevin Garnett has mostly avoided the city that raised him like the plague.

But with Taylor soon to be out of the picture — not only is KG’s No. 21 jersey expected to be hanging in the rafters of Target Center very very soon, but local reports also have Kevin Garnett planning a return to the Minnesota Timberwolves, in some sort of undisclosed front office role, as soon as Lore and A-Rod take over.

Kevin Garnett talks about possible return to Minnesota Timberwolves

According to Kevin Garnett, however, his return to Minnesota and his future working for the Timberwolves is not yet clear. Instead, Garnett told former Celtics teammate and good friend Paul Pierce — during a recent episode of his KG Certified show — that he is not sure yet if he will accept a job with the Wolves.

The now 48-year-old former NBA superstar turned media influencer says he is still locked in on personal projects he is working on. While it sounds like he has talked to the Minnesota Timberwolves (probably A-Rod) about a possible role, it doesn’t seem as though anything is near being locked in.

If he does come back, Garnett told Pierce he wants his return to Minnesota to be bigger than the Timberwolves. On top of whatever his other duties are, KG wants to be an ambassador for the entire state and all of its sports teams — a connector who can help raise the bar and help bring entire state back together, while helping to promote the Wolves, Vikings, Twins, Wild and Gophers.

Pierce: “You got a lot of DNA in Minnesota. I was just seeing if you saw yourself going back and injecting that franchise with some of your energy?

KG: “I would love to, I would love to. But I want to be on the same page. A lot of the concerns that I have, or at least some of the things that I want to grow and develop in Minnesota, has nothing to do with on the court [basketball]. Communities and the bondage and bringing the city back together, is kinda what I’m on.

I want to go back and touch the guys and have everybody be excited about the Timberwolves and the Twins, the Vikings and the Wild and the University of Minnesota… the Gophers, and all that shit. So I’m on that. If they want to do something like that, I’m with it. I’m all for that. But again, I’m building something, I’m locked in on something, so year, I’m committed to what I’m doing too.

KG Certified Show (via Instagram)

Originally from Greenville, South Carolina — where he spent the first 17 years of his life, before transferring to Farragut for his senior year — KG left the Windy City as 1994-95 Illinois Mr. Basketball, the McDonald’s All-American Game MVP and the 1994-95 USA Today National High School Player of the Year.

Related: Nuggets Want Tim Connelly Back; Should Timberwolves be Concerned?

Even with all those high school accolades, few at the time saw Garnett growing up in Minnesota and eventually graduating to Boston, where between the two teams, he went to 15 All-Star Games, got 9 All-NBA nods and in 2003-04 became Minnesota’s sole NBA MVP.

Now, we just want him back in our state. So whatever KG wants, just give it to him.