Kevin Garnett's No. 5 is heading to the TD Garden rafters.
The Celtics announced Friday afternoon that they will be holding a number retirement ceremony for Garnett on Sunday, March 22 before their game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Garnett's arrival in Boston in 2007 instantly transformed the Celtics into a championship team, as he would help lead the team to an NBA title in his first season as a Celtic.
The Celtics had acquired Ray Allen earlier that summer in the first shakeup after a 2006-07 season that saw them go 24-58. But it was the trade for Garnett -- one that sent Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair and two first-round picks to Minnesota -- that gave Boston its new "Big Three" and its emotional leader.
Garnett, who had won the NBA MVP Award with the Timberwolves in 2004, made the All-NBA First Team and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in his first season with the Celtics. He was the team's leading scorer and rebounder on their championship run, averaging 20.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
Garnett went on the play five more years with the Celtics, helping them reach the NBA Finals again in 2010, when they lost a rematch to the Lakers in seven games.
Garnett was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2020. The ceremony took place earlier this year after being postponed due to COVID-19. The 15-time All-Star ranks 18th in NBA history in points and ninth in rebounds.
Garnett will be the 23rd number retired by the Celtics, and the second from the last 20 years, joining teammate Paul Pierce, whose No. 34 was retired in 2018.
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