Garnett to have his jersey retired today

The post-retirement accolades have been raining down on Kevin Garnett over the past handful of years.

The 15-time NBA AllStar, one of the catalysts of Boston's 2007-2008 team that raised the franchise's 17th championship banner, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

This year, he's been honored as a member of the NBA's 75th anniversary team and written an intimate memoir that's a national bestseller.

Now, at 45, KG will add another chapter to his legacy when he becomes the 24th member of the Celtics organization to have his jersey number retired in a ceremony after the game with Dallas today. His No. 5 will be raised to the TD Garden rafters in the open spot next to, and four years after, former teammate Paul Pierce saw his No. 34 enshrined among the Celtics legends.

It's left a player who was the undeniable emotional centerpiece of the Celtics during his six seasons in Boston grasping for ways to describe the moments.

“I'm just trying to soak it up, being honest, I'm trying to be very humble. I don't know. I'm just it's all a shock to me, you know what I mean? When kids come up to me and they express their appreciation for different things. I don't really know what to say other than, `Thank you,'” Garnett said in a recent interview. “I just stayed true to what I was and who I was. It was the easiest thing to do. I didn't want to be something I wasn't.” POPPOVICH BECOMES REGULAR-SEASON

WINS LEADER >> Gregg Popovich's name is on top of the NBA regular-season victory list. He thinks of it more as a group accomplishment.

“All of us share in this record,” Popovich said Friday night after getting his record-breaking 1,336th victory when the San Antonio Spurs rallied to beat the Utah Jazz 104-102. “It's not mine. It's ours, here in the city.”

Popovich broke a tie with Don Nelson, the friend and mentor he served as an assistant under while with Golden State for two seasons. The milestone came in Popovich's 2,030th game and 26th season with the Spurs.

“It's just a testament to a whole lot of people,” Popovich said. “Something like this does not belong to one individual. Basketball's a team sport. You preach to your players that they have to do it together and that's certainly been the case in my life with all the wonderful players and coaches, the staff that I've been blessed with, the support of this wonderful city. The fans support us no matter what.”