“He Didn’t Win A Championship”: Paul Pierce Uses Shaq’s Lack Of A Magic Title To Reassure Kevin Garnett About His Celtics Jersey Retirement

On Tuesday, the Orlando Magic honoured Shaquille O’Neal by making him the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired. The 4-time NBA champion began his career with the Magic in 1992 and spent four years with the team before leaving for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. On the Ticket and the Truth podcast, retired Boston Celtics icons Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce paid homage to O’Neal for making the Magic a relevant franchise.

Pierce claimed that he didn’t know much about Magic’s players before Shaq joined the Orlando side.

“[The Orlando Magic] needed Shaq at that time. He put them on the map. I don’t even know who was on the Magic before Shaq got there.”  

The duo then pivoted to talking about their jersey retirement ceremonies in Boston. Pierce claimed it was the biggest honour he’s ever received. He added that having his jersey number up in the rafters alongside Celtics greats like Bill Russell and Larry Bird was better than being in the Hall of Fame.

Praising Pierce, Garnett mentioned that he was undoubtedly deserving of having his jersey retired by the Celtics. The forward spent 15 years with the franchise and was the Finals MVP when they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals and ended the city’s 22-year wait for an NBA title.

Garnett added that he was surprised when he got the call about his jersey retirement in Boston. He felt his body of work with the franchise wasn’t strong enough to warrant having his jersey retired. Pierce cut him off and said,

“First of all, you’ve got the body of work. Shaq got his retired [by the Magic] after only four years… He didn’t win a championship… Your impact in Boston, changing the culture, bringing that presence. I mean, it was like a different glow in that building when you got there.” 

Garnett indeed made a massive impact on the Celtics after joining the team in 2007. They had missed the playoffs for two straight years and hadn’t won a game in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2002. However, in Garnett’s debut season with the Celtics, he, Pierce, and Ray Allen led the franchise to their first NBA title since 1986. The forward’s emotional outburst in the post-game interview after winning the title has been a part of NBA folklore.

The Celtics made the playoffs 5 times during Garnett’s stint with the franchise. They made it to the Conference Finals thrice, the NBA Finals twice, and won the title once. The Celtics’ 2008 title win with Garnett and Pierce leading the charge remains the franchise’s last championship victory. The forward undoubtedly deserved to have his jersey retired by the franchise.

Kevin Garnett is not interested in the Timberwolves retiring his jersey

While Kevin Garnett won that elusive NBA title with the Boston Celtics, he spent most of his career trying to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to their maiden championship. He was drafted fifth overall by the franchise in the 1995 NBA draft and spent 12 seasons with the franchise.

Despite receiving minimal help from the front office, Garnett led the Timberwolves to eight straight playoff berths from 1996 to 2004. They failed to advance past the first round in their first seven attempts but made it to the Conference Finals in 2004. Unfortunately, they ran into Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal-led Lakers juggernaut and lost the series 4-2.

The Timberwolves couldn’t build on that stellar run and missed out on the playoffs in the subsequent three seasons. In the 2007 offseason, they traded Garnett to the Celtics. He played the final 18 months of his career with the Timberwolves as a favor to Flip Saunders, the team’s head coach from 1995 to 2005, who returned to the team in 2014. Saunders brought the legendary forward back by promising him a role in the team’s front office after he retired from playing.

However, Saunders was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and tragically passed away in October 2015. Owner Glen Taylor did not come through on the promises made to Garnett. The betrayal hurt him, and that’s why he isn’t keen on receiving a jersey retirement in Minnesota. In an interview with the Athletic in 2020, he said,

“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**k with me there… But I don’t do business with snakes. I don’t do business with snake motherf***as. I try not to do business with openly snakes or people who are snake-like.”

Garnett’s disdain for the Timberwolves owner will ensure the Celtics remain the only franchise to hang his jersey in the rafters. Perhaps his stance might soften in the future, or the franchise could get a new owner, and he would get the honor he deserves.