After months of speculation, NBA legend Kevin Garnett has officially announced via his personal Instagram that he has retired from basketball. The Garnett era is over.

The 40-year-old's future in the game's top flight has been a hot topic this summer, with the 2008 NBA Champion delaying his decision after an injury-plagued 18 months.

Rumors of Garnett missing the Minnesota Timberwolves' pre-season training camp only added fuel to the fire surrounding his potential retirement, as news rapidly spread ahead of his announcement.

The versatile big man retires as Minnesota's all-time leading points scorer, having also won the 2004 Most Valuable Player award during his initial 12-year stint with the side.

Between 2007 and 2013 the future Hall-of-Famer played for the Boston Celtics, before enjoying a slightly less successful two years with the Brooklyn Nets.

Garnett is also a 15-time NBA All-Star, having first made the cut aged 21 in 1997. He finishes his career having averaged 17.8 points and 10.0 rebounds a game across nearly 1,500 regular-season games.

"To be continued..."

Garnett celebrating winning the 2004 MVP award. He was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2008. | Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

When the power forward returned to the Timberwolves in February of last year, it was reported by sources at ESPN that Garnett had re-joined the franchise with the intentions of owning the side following his retirement.

The plan involved Garnett and the side's coach Flip Saunders, who coached Minnesota between 1995 and 2005, before making a return to the franchise in 2014. 

Saunders and KG were looking to eventually co-own the franchise by buying it off of long time owner Glen Taylor, however Saunders sadly lost his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma late last year.

Whether Garnett can still go ahead with his plan is unclear, but what does seem certain is that the 40-year-old with stay involved with his beloved franchise.

The big man worked closely with unanimous 2016 Rookie of the Year winner Karl-Anthony Towns last season, and it looks as though Garnett could continue working alongside the Timberwolves' young, maturing roster.

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About the author
Chris Hughes
Chris Hughes is a third-year Sports Journalism at Southampton Solent University who is the co-editor of VAVEL USAs NBA section. He also contributes to Fansideds Thunderous Intentions.