Kendrick Perkins Says Paul Pierce Spat Towards LeBron James In 2003 And They Still 'Hate' Each Other

Perkins says that's why Pierce left James off of his top five all-time greatest players list.

It was surprising when Paul Pierce recently left LeBron James off of his top five all-time greatest NBA players list. But Kendrick Perkins provided some clarity on that slight, saying they "hate" each other.  

It all started during James' first preseason game as a rookie against the Boston Celtics in 2003, when Pierce hazed the 18-year-old who was touted as "the chosen one."

“Paul is talking noise to the bench, right?” Perkins told ESPN's "Hoop Streams." “He’s talking big noise to the Cavs' bench, and they’re sitting over there, 'Bron and them, they’re all sitting over there.”

Perkins said Pierce then did something that James could never forget, causing a bit of a maelstrom.

“Paul actually spits over there at the bench,” Perkins said. “The ultimate disrespect.”

The feud continued after the buzzer. 

“It ended up turning up,” Perkins said. “After the game, both teams were meeting in the back. Guys were ready to fight. We had to hold people back. It went up from there. Ever since that moment, LeBron James and Paul Pierce hate each other. They don’t speak to each other, even now, today.”

Pierce was later fined $15,000 for his behavior, but clearly the antipathy carried over. 

Pierce told ESPN's "NBA Countdown" on Wednesday that his top five greatest players in NBA history are Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.

Pierce said James didn't make his list because he hasn't helped build any organizations over his 17-season career. 

“What has LeBron did to build up any organization from the ground?" Pierce said. "I’m talking about these players, top-5 players. Bill Russell built the organization of Boston, Kareem, Magic, Jordan, Tim Duncan, Kobe, Bird. These guys are all-time top 10 players who helped build their organization or continued the tradition.”

Perkins, who is close with both Pierce and James, said that logic is faulty.  

“There’s no way in hell that you can say that LeBron James is not top five,” Perkins said. “You might not have him as your GOAT [greatest of all-time], but to say that he’s not top five, that’s just crazy.”