Kevin Garnett and Joakim Noah, two of the NBA’s biggest and most prickly on-court personalities, have something of a checkered past together. They’ve battled one another in the playoffs several times over the years and have sparred verbally off the court from time to time as well.

Noah, whether he wants to admit it, has evolved into something of a new-generation KG with his incessant jawing and relentless taunting of opponents. As Garnett’s former running mate Paul Pierce pointed out in Howard Beck’s excellent oral history of The Big Ticket over at Bleacher Report today, Noah learned it from the very best:

“Paul Pierce: One time, he asked [Joakim] Noah if he could rub through his hair, like a female or something. … And I know that kind of made [Noah] hot. And this was when Noah was a rookie, too. I remember Noah looked up to KG. He was like, “Man, KG, I had your poster on my wall, I looked up to you, man.” And then [Garnett] just said something like that, and was like “F— you, Noah.” I was like, “Whoa.” This kid fresh out of college, looks up to KG, just said he had his poster on the wall, and he tells him that! It crushed him. It crushed Noah.”

Garnett, who is winding down his career in Minnesota, where he initially began as a fresh-faced high-school graduate, has left an indelible mark on the league in a number of ways. He’s most notable for his aforementioned competitive intensity, but he also raised the bar for defensive tenacity, another legacy that has been passed down to Noah.

KG may have withered a young Noah with his fiery persona, but he also arguably helped transform Noah into the player he is today.

(Via Howard Beck)