When KG intimidated Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry in the preseason

Kevin Garnett terrified two young Chicago Bulls big men during a preseason game.

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

The early 2000s saw an incredible influx of talented high school players heading straight to the NBA. This naturally meant that players that were still in their teens immediately got the opportunity to play against their basketball idols—players they looked up to and patterned their own game after.

For the young Chicago Bulls duo of Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, this dream came true when they faced off against Kevin Garnett in a preseason game—but what should have been an exciting moment soon became downright scary for the young big men.

Trash talk

Tyson Chandler played 19 seasons in the Association, suiting up in 1160 games for eight different teams. That's a whole lot of minutes on an NBA floor. However, he still vividly remembers one preseason game from his rookie year in 2001 as that was the time he first went up against "The Big Ticket", who he looked up to since his high school days.

"Me and Eddy (Curry) when we first played against Minnesota in the preseason, I was on the same court with Kevin Garnett. So I'm looking like I'm trying not to pay attention and I'm going through my little warm-up trying not to make it obvious, but I'm like, 'Damn, that's Kevin Garnett," shared Chandler in his appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles.

"Then I go through another warm-up and me and Eddy kind of lined up almost at the same time. Now I laid it up and he laid it up and I'm running back when KG come to the side and said, 'These high school motherf***** think they can f*** with me. F that. I’m mothef**** ticket!”'

Garnett's trash talk took the youngsters back with Chandler saying, "Oh my god. Is he talking to us, Eddy? I don't think we in the same game as he is."

"That man showed me a different type of fierce," added Chandler.

Set the tone

Right then and there, Chandler knew he was up against a professional veteran who was out to set the tone of the game. With KG's intimidation tactics, he put doubt in the minds of both Curry and Chandler as they questioned their place in the league. This display of dominance by Garnett is a testament to not only his desire to win but also his unrivaled experience on the court.

Chandler quickly learned that the only way to be successful in the Association was to accept the challenge and rise above it. He took it upon himself not to back down from the intimidation but rather use it as motivation to become a better player. He achieved that by blazing his own trail in the NBA, while becoming an All-Star, an All-NBA player, an NBA champion with the Dallas Mavericks, and a Defensive Player of the Year along the way.