On March 14, Beijing time, the NBA regular season, the Celtics defeated the Lone Ranger 92-95 at home. After the match, the Celtics held a no. 5 jersey retirement ceremony for Garnett.
In this game, the Celtics invited some of the 2008 champions to the scene, including friends Pierce, Ray Allen and others, to witness Garnett's glory moment.
When Garnett entered, the scene began to erupt in thunderous cheers, and the fans chanted "KG" to show their highest respect for him. At Garnett's jersey retirement ceremony, the host first invited special guests to the venue, and then began to introduce Garnett's life glory. Pierce then began his speech as the first player representative, thanking Garnett for bringing him the only championship trophy of his career, which he would be a source of pride for the Celtics.
Immediately after, the video began to be played on the scene, and a number of people who could not be present at the scene sent video blessings to Garnett, including his former teammates Cassell and Rondo, head coach Rivers, Green Army legend Russell and McHale.
After that, three pieces of cardboard appeared on the scene, corresponding in turn to the jersey retirement number of the team's celebrities, Garnett's Celtic image close-up, and Garnett's highlight photo. The scene was followed by a video collection of Garnett's career, and At this moment Garnett was already very excited, and tears were frantically swirling in his eyes. By the time the video was over, Garnett was out of tears.
The next session was Garnett's speech. Garnett's speech session is very interesting, he does not stand alone on the field like traditional and begins to tell his story, he uses the form of question and answer to tell his own story. He thanked Angie for bringing him from Minnesota to Boston and hated himself for not joining the team sooner.
Garnett then began talking about his teammates. He said he didn't expect Ray Allen to be on the scene and that his presence touched him. Ray Allen quickly stepped forward and gave Garnett a hug, and then Pierce hugged the two on the spot, and the picture of the big three hugging each other was moving.
In the end, Garnett, with the help of his two daughters, slowly raised his jersey number, and from then on, his No. 5 jersey number will accompany the Celtics in every home game. It is also the 23rd number for the Celtics to retire.
Garnett played for the Celtics for six seasons, averaging 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 1 block per game, was named to the All-Star Team five times, entered the Best Defensive Team four times, and was elected Best Defensive Player once. In 2008, he helped the Celtics beat the Lakers 4-2 in the Finals to win the 17th championship in team history. It was also the only time Garnett had won a championship in his career. At that time, he and Pierce and Ray Allen's Big Three were loved by fans.
It is worth mentioning that although the Celtics retired Garnett's jersey, Garnett did not leave much glory in team history. Instead, he holds 19 team records in timberwolves' team history, but he has never retired his Timberwolves No. 21 jersey. This is inseparable from his previous grudge with the boss, but as the Timberwolves owner changes owners, he is expected to complete the icebreaking with the team and retire the jersey in the future.
(Text/Yuwen Basketball)