Boston Celtics icons Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett reminisced about their humble beginnings, shedding light on their early struggles to afford basketball shoes. On the “KG Certified” podcast, the duo shared anecdotes about their first pairs of Nike Air Jordan sneakers during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Pierce fondly recalled saving up $100 to purchase his inaugural Air Jordan 4s, which made their debut during the 1989 NBA All-Star Game in Houston. “The 4s. It was the 4s for me,” Pierce recounted. “That was the first pair of Jordans I got when I was in sixth grade… I saved up $100 for their joints.”
Meanwhile, Garnett recounted his journey to acquire his first pair of Jordans, the Air Jordan 6s, which hit the market in 1991.
Working at Burger King at the time, Garnett invested two months’ worth of earnings to procure the coveted sneakers.
“My first pair of Jordans were the ones he won when you had to put your fingers in the infrareds, the 6s,” Garnett reminisced. “I worked at Burger King for like two months, blew my whole check on them s**ts.”
Despite facing criticism from his mother for spending his hard-earned money on shoes, Garnett remained steadfast in his decision. “I made my mama mad as a motherf**ker,” Garnett admitted. “I didn’t wanna hear s**t. Like, ‘Yo, I just spent my money on this s**t! Everybody can kiss my a**! I don’t wanna hear s**t!’”
