“I don’t do business with snakes”
Kevin Garnett, who was recently selected for the Hall of Fame on Saturday among nine others, says he is “not entertaining” the notion of the Minnesota Timberwolves retiring his number 21.
This traces back to a nasty split that occurred between Garnett and team owner Glen Taylor in 2016.
“Glen knows where I’m at. I’m not entertaining it. First of all, it’s not genuine. Two, he’s getting pressure from a lot of fans and, I guess, the community there,” Garnett shared with The Athletic.
“Glen and I had an understanding before [former team president] Flip [Saunders] died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip.
“For that, I won’t forgive Glen. I won’t forgive him for that. I thought he was a straight-up person, straight-up businessman, and when Flip died, everything went with him.”
In a 2015 trade, Saunders had brought Garnett back to the Timberwolves — the team where he had spent 14 of his total 21 NBA seasons. The two discussed Garnett’s eventual role as minority owner of the team.
Not long after, Saunders tragically died of lymphoma, forcing Minnesota to acquire new leadership. Garnett retired in September of 2016 following an uncomfortable buyout negotiation with Taylor.
In 2017, Garnett shared with The Associated Press that he believes promises were broken.
“My years in Minnesota and in that community, I cherish,” said Garnett to The Athletic.
“At this point, I don’t want any dealings with Glen Taylor or Taylor Corp. or anything that has to do with him. I love my Timberwolves, I’ll always love my guys, I’ll always love the people who f— with me there. 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 motherf—ers. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like.”
Sources: NBA, ESPN, The Associated Press, The Athletic
