BOSTON -- More than 20 years before Kevin Garnett stood in the Boston Celtics locker room praising Paul Pierce for passing Larry Bird as the second-leading scorer in franchise history, the two met for the first time on the Inglewood High School basketball court.
Only teenagers, they were still developing their games. But their chemistry needed little work. They clicked instantly and formed a lifelong bond that has lasted through lengthy NBA careers, an NBA Championship, numerous All-Star games, and, on Tuesday night, a legendary milestone.
The first time we were on the court, it was beautiful, Garnett said following the Celtics 94-84 win over the Charlotte Bobcats. First time I stepped into Inglewood High, we stepped on the floor, we dapped, said whats up, had a small conversation, we practiced, and it was instant chemistry.
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The two grew close as Garnett, who grew up in South Carolina, spent time during the summers working out and playing on the West Coast, where Pierce lived. They developed a relationship Garnett described as being like brothers.
At the time, both played in the front court given their height in comparison to most peers their age. Garnett liked Pierces sense of determination and how he pushed himself to constantly improve.
Pauls from a rough neighborhood, from brothers and a loving mother and family, so he always had a sense of character and depth to him, he said. When it came to basketball, he was always in the backyard working. I remember he was always talking about David Robinson. Couldnt understand that one, but you know, it wasnt for me to understand.
But you saw the drive, you saw what motivated him, you saw what pushed him. Being in L.A., other players were considered better than him, and that drove him from day one. Weve just had a lot of similarities, a lot of things pushing us, a lot of things driving us as young guys. We just so happen to be best friends and have a lot in common.
Their careers began on different paths and eventually ended up together again in Boston. Garnett entered the NBA straight from high school in 1995 and Pierce came into the league three years later after playing college basketball at the University of Kansas. Both spent their entire career on a single team -- Garnett on the Minnesota Timberwolves and Pierce on the Celtics -- until Garnett was traded to the Cs in 2007.
Since then, they have been part of a deadly trio -- which has now expanded to a quadruple threat -- that brought a championship back to Boston.
Looking back on the first time they met, Garnett would not have shot down the notion of their shared success. If someone had told him as a teenager that one day he and Pierce would be teammates, win a title, and experience Pierce breaking Birds scoring mark together, he would have bought into it.
I would totally believe them, he said. Id be like, Youre crazy as hell but I believe you. Its good that we can sit back and joke about holes in our shoes and playing with itty-bitty shorts and all this other stuff, and then to be full circle right here, its great. So congratulations to The Truth.