The long and drawn-out saga that was the Minnesota Timberwolves' ownership dispute has finally come to a close. On Monday afternoon, it was announced that the arbitration hearings that would determine the team's new ownership group had officially concluded, with Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore emerging victorious and taking over as the new majority owners.
Rodriguez and Lore won the legal dispute against Glen Taylor, and they can now proceed with their purchase of the team that first began way back in 2021. The next step in the process will be getting the approval of the NBA's Board of Governors, which is reportedly not expected to be a problem.
The arbitration panel voted in favor of Rodriguez and Lore two votes to one. The Timberwolves' two new owners had this to say, in a statement released on Monday: We are extremely pleased with today’s decision. We look forward to working with the NBA to complete the approval process and close this transaction so that we can turn our attention to winning championships in Minnesota for our incredible fans and the Twin Cities community.
Many in the Wolves' fanbase are going to be thrilled at this decision for a number of reasons. But perhaps one of the biggest upsides of Rodriguez and Lore taking over as owners is that Kevin Garnett may finally be getting his jersey retired at Target Center.
Kevin Garnett's jersey can now be retired
For years, Garnett had personal issues with Glen Taylor and has refused to interact with him based on some decisions he made that KG felt crossed the line. The dispute between these two was centered around an agreement made before Flip Saunders' death that would have ensured Garnett had a place in the Wolves' organization once he retired. When Flip passed, Taylor supposedly changed his tune.
Back in 2020, Garnett had this to say about the Timberwolves' now-former owner. "Glen and I had an understanding before 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 business man, and when Flip died, everything went with him."
Regardless of one's personal opinion on that particular dispute, the fact of the matter is that Taylor will now be unaffiliated with the organization, and the likelihood that Garnett would be open to having a jersey retirement ceremony feels much stronger. If and when that happens, it will be a momentous occasion in Minnesota.
When will that event take place under new ownership? It's hard to say exactly, but the fact of the matter is that Timberwolves fans can for the first time have confidence that it will be happening sooner rather than later.