Once upon a time, Joakim Noah was just a young kid who idolized Kevin Garnett. Then Noah grew into one of the hottest high school basketball prospects in the country, committed to the University of Florida, led the Gators to back-to-back national championships, was drafted No. 9 overall by the Chicago Bulls, and his childhood hero became the enemy overnight.
Garnett wasted no time introducing Noah to his legendary trash talk, which helped spark the rivalry between the two.
In a Bleacher Report piece that chronicles how Garnett changed the game, former teammate Paul Pierce dished on a story from the beginning of Noah’s career.