Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were undoubtedly imposing figures on the basketball court, but their aura paled compared to that of Michael Jordan.

Recalling their first encounters in an episode of Ticket & The Truth Podcast, both Boston Celtics legends admitted to being starstruck with His Airness merely stepping on the court. In particular, KG emphasized how he’d never seen anyone ‘own the stage’ like Mike.

“When you look at the sun and look at something, you gonna see a green (mark). The ni**a walk out here, I swear to god, it seems like everything is stopped. This ni**a is moving in slow motion. Every motherf**ker in here looking at him and he knew it,” Garnett said. “Never seen ni**a own the stage like bro.”

Pierce on when he first saw MJ play

While ‘The Big Ticket’ gushed over how fellow NBA players couldn’t stop being starstruck by MJ, even when they were playing against him, Pierce mentioned how he first saw Jordan play when the Chicago Bulls played a preseason game at Kansas against the Seattle SuperSonics. He gushed over the glow the six-time Finals MVP had, and even though ‘The Truth’ got a chance to meet Jordan, he was simply mesmerized.