Brad Stevens recalls first time seeing Kevin Garnett play in person

Brad Stevens arrived to Boston five days after Kevin Garnett departed, but he still has some lasting memories of the Celtics great.

With Garnett being enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Stevens took some time before C's-Timberwolves to share a story from KG's early days.

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"Kevin and I are in the same high school class," Stevens said. "So the first time I saw Kevin was at an AAU tournament on the court next to me. And when he walked out on that court and I watched him running up and down the court, I was like, 'Oh my goodness.' It was the best kid in our class, obviously, and I have never seen anybody that was that mobile, that energetic, and that talented in our class at least.

"Been following him ever since, obviously through his Minnesota years, and when he came to Boston I think it's well-documented what he did was more than how he played. His energy, his relentlessness, his demanding of excellence across the board from his team. Everybody that talks about those teams obviously talks about all the talent they had, but that he was the spiritual guy that put them over the top every single day. The way that he led, with the emotion that he played with, the care factor, all that stuff.

While he didn't get a chance to coach Garnett, Stevens is well-aware of the impact he left on the Celtics organization during his six years in Boston.

"Accepting a head coaching job five days after you trade a guy like that probably isn't the smartest thing in the world, but I couldn't be more of a fan," Stevens said. "I'm glad we got a chance to coach against him. I don't know him great, but man does he have a great reputation in our building."