If it was one thing that Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics’ superstars, Joakim Noah and Kevin Garnett had in common, it was their fiery, no-holds-barred approach on the court against any opposition.
Both of them were instrumental and bankable defensive presences for their teams, and naturally, it came with enough brouhaha between the two whenever they squared off. But in a solid move of sportsmanship, KG, and Noah quashed their long-standing beef recently.
“I was trying to destroy your will,” Garnett said on KG Certified. “But never in another stratosphere would I have ever thought that you were a fan of mine.”
“So I come today and I say, I apologize, my brother, for killing that light. No real s***t, because I take a lot of pride in being a big brother to all the young guys, you know what I am saying? But in the form of what we were, and competing, that’s what it was. And I understood it, coming from you too. But I just want you to know I recognized your genius. I saw it and I respected it.”
KG and Joakim Noah squash the beef from their on-court feuds from back in the day. 🤝
New episode of #KGCertified with @JoakimNoah drops Monday on the @shobasketball YouTube! pic.twitter.com/DFCbRRIuYJ
— All the Smoke (@allthesmokeprod) May 21, 2023
Garnett added that he wanted to be a positive influence and a brother to the young turks in the league — a role that he relished. And while at it, he also wanted to maintain in ferocity and competitive streak. If it meant proving a point against tougher and skilled opponents like Noah, then so be it.
Joakim Noah Idolized Kevin Garnett During Their Playing Days
Such was the defensive prowess that KG was, it was hard for players to not stop and admire what he brought to the table on that end. And Noah was one of them. Except that when he went to tell KG that he admired him, the former dished out an unexpected reply.
“It changed my career,” Noah said. “That moment changed my career because from that moment, on I learned that there is no love in battle, and this is competition. At the end of the day, I’m trying to rip your f****** head off, you’re trying to rip my head off, let’s go. I’m trying to win just as bad as you’re trying to win. I’m not trying to make no friends. That moment right there changed everything.”
Quite simply, KG’s attitude meant Noah learning a valuable lesson, and it meant that there were no friends on the basketball court. It’s pretty much an echo to what Russell Westbrook once said about having only one friend on the court and that his name was Spalding.
In the end, it’s all well that ends well between these two.
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