“I thought [Kevin Garnett] had a deal earlier with Minnesota and it didn’t work out,” began former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.
Speaking at the Los Angeles Clippers’ Wednesday morning media availability session about his former player Kevin Garnett’s efforts to purchase the Minnesota Timberwolves, Rivers was supportive of the Celtics champion’s bid to buy the team.
Garnett, part of a group trying to buy the team with whom he spent the bulk of his career after word emerged Tuesday owner Glen Taylor was looking to sell the team, confirmed that evening on Twitter he is an interested party in one of several competing bids for the team.
“My passion for the Minnesota Timberwolves to be a championship team is well known but I have a deeper affection for the city of Minneapolis,” began Garnett. “I once again want to see Minneapolis as the diverse and loving community that I know it is. No two people love the city more than myself and Glen Taylor and I look forward to trying to work with him to achieve my dream.”
Taylor and Garnett had soured in their relations in recent years, with KG feeling Taylor had broken promises to allow Garnett to become part of the ownership group of the team, so this could be a very public way to mend some fences.
Though the sale to the former Boston icon is far from guaranteed.
The South Carolinian seemed to be willing to let bygones be bygones with a post on his Instagram.
“Regardless of past feelings with Glen [and] I, I would love NOTHING BETTER THAN TO BECOME PARTNERS GOING FORWARD IN THIS GREAT BUT [MASSIVE] REBUILDING OF A CITY THAT I DEEPLY LOVE!! Putting the past to the side/Focus on the now [expletive] THE REST. #BIGFACTS #TRUCHANGE LET’S GOOOO DAMITT”
Whether Taylor is willing to let go of the animus that developed between the two is his decision to make, but it seems unlikely he will find a more apt ownership group to take the reins on his departure, even if he fields better offers financially.
There is no one in the wider NBA community more loyal to his team, teammates (to a fault, perhaps — just ask Celtics fans about Ray Allen) and fanbases, meaning there is zero chance Garnett’s group will move the team anywhere, a key requirement for Taylor to purchase the team.
And adding KG — even as a minority owner — to the not-long list of Black owners in the NBA.
In fact, adding Garnett would double the number of Black owners, as The Big Ticket would join Michael Jordan, the league’s sole Black team owner.
“I would love to see Garnett and more players get into [team ownership]; it’d be awesome,” said KG’s old coach Rivers.
No arguments here.
