Kevin Garnett is most known for dominating on the basketball court and letting his voice be heard. After being voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his extraordinary accomplishments on the court, Garnett lived up to his other reputation by further expressing his disdain for Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.
During an interview with The Athletic, in which he also talked about his career and the Hall of Fame class, Garnett ripped into Taylor’s character and why he refuses to participate if the Timberwolves retire his number.
“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. Glen and I had an understanding before Flip died, and when Flip died, that understanding went with Flip. For that, I won’t forgive Glen,” Garnett said, via The Athletic. 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.”
As The Athletic notes, former Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders helped set up Garnett’s return to Minnesota in 2015. Garnett made his NBA debut in 1995 and Saunders served as his coach until 2005. The two had a close relationship and reportedly discussed Garnett one day joining the ownership group or front office. When Saunders died in October 2015 following his battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Garnett said everything changed. While he still has love for the team itself
“There’s no reason to complain. Just continue to move on. My years in Minnesota and in that community, I cherish. 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,” Garnett said, via The Athletic. “But I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake m–f—–. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like.”
Given his close relationship to Saunders and Taylor’s decision to hire Tim Thibodeau following Saunders’ death, Garnett’s feelings toward the owner come from a place of strong emotion. Of course, Taylor’s side of the story could certainly differ from Garnett’s perspective on a plan being in place.
For now, though, it’s clear Garnett wants nothing to do with this organization. For as much love as he feels to Minnesota and all those who helped him during a career, fans shouldn’t expect him to return until Taylor is gone.