Kevin Garnett Bids ‘Farewell,’ Retires After Storied 21-Year NBA Career

UPDATE (7 p.m. ET): It’s official — Kevin Garnett has played his final NBA game.

The surefire Hall of Famer announced his retirement Friday after 21 seasons in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets.

The Celtics also released a statement on Garnett, who won the NBA championship with Boston in 2008.

UPDATE (6 p.m. ET): Shortly after news broke that Kevin Garnett reportedly would retire after reaching a buyout with the Minnesota Timberwolves, KG said “farewell” in an emotional Instagram post.

See more

ORIGINAL STORY: The Big Ticket reportedly is ready to call it a career. And what a career it has been.

Kevin Garnett, 40, is expected to retire “shortly” after coming to an agreement with Minnesota Timberwolves on a buyout, a league source told the Star Tribune’s Kent Youngblood on Friday. The news since has been confirmed by The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Garnett had one year and $8 million remaining on his contract with Minnesota.

Word came out Wednesday that the sides were working on a buyout and that the team believed Garnett would retire. So while Friday’s news doesn’t come as a surprise, it still is the end of an era for fans who enjoyed watching him play for the T-Wolves, Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets throughout his 21-year NBA career.

So, in honor of the surefire Hall of Famer likely calling it a career, we’ll leave you with this:

Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images