Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce have established their names among the greatest players of all time, but one man stands above almost everyone in NBA history, Michael Jordan. Even KG and Pierce were admirers of MJ as they entered the league, with both recounting what it was like to see him for the first time.
“The ni**a (Michael Jordan) walk out here, I swear to god, it seems like everything is stopped. This ni**a is moving in slow motion. Every motherf**ker in here looking at him and he knows it. Never seen anyone own the stage like bro,” Garnett narrated.
Pierce shared his experience as well, meeting Jordan while he was playing at the University of Kansas.
“So he came up in a suit. I swear, he was just glowing… Damn, that’s Mike. I’m in college too. So, I got to shake his hand and take a picture with him and all that. But I don’t know if I ever met another person like that in my life,” Pierce said.
The reactions both men had upon meeting Jordan make sense. Garnett was drafted in 1995 and spent years competing against Jordan’s Bulls during their second three-peat. Pierce entered the league later in 1999, facing Jordan at the tail-end of his career.
Garnett averaged 20.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists against Jordan in nine games. The matchups ended 5-4 in Garnett’s favor. Jordan averaged 28.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in these games, definitely leaving a big impression on Garnett.
Pierce averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists against Jordan in six games, with the Bulls legend holding a 4-2 head-to-head advantage. Jordan averaged 22.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, proving he still had a lot to give at the end of his career.
Paul Pierce Revealed How Tough It Was To Guard A 40-Year-Old Michael Jordan
Paul Pierce has previously spoken about his matchups with Jordan when the legend was on the Washington Wizards. Even though Jordan was 40 years old, Pierce still remembers getting schooled by the legend.
“I had a chance to play against Michael Jordan but it was when he had the Wizards uniform on so it wasn’t quite prime Michael Jordan, it was 40-year-old Michael Jordan. I remember he still was phenomenal. He still had great footwork and he actually gave me about 30 points. It was like my 3rd year in the league. He’s still probably one of the top ten athletes in the game.
Jordan may have taken years off in his prime but he maximized the last few seasons he spent as an NBA player. While he couldn’t parlay playing into an ownership stake with the Wizards at the time, he did prove he could’ve played longer if he wanted to. Everyone knew Jordan wasn’t the same caliber of player who three-peated twice, but he was still among the top players in the league at the time.
Jordan averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in his time with the Wizards, retiring in 2003. Garnett won MVP the first season Jordan was out of the NBA. Pierce established himself as the Celtics’ cornerstone but wouldn’t enjoy much success until Garnett left the Timberwolves and joined the Celtics in 2007.
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