On Feb. 5, 1999, Paul Pierce made his NBA debut for the Boston Celtics in a 103-92 loss against the Toronto Raptors.
Less than a week after that, Diamond Stone turned two years old.
Now, 17 years later, Pierce and Stone are teammates on the Los Angeles Clippers and Pierce has taken Stone under his wing.
Pierce has started spending every morning with Stone, going through one-on-one drills, lifting weights and offering tips to mentor the former Terp, according to an article from Clippers.com.
Stone’s desire to learn from someone 19 years older than him has impressed Pierce. In the article, Pierce mentioned he has seen many rookies unwilling to listen and learn from veterans and fail to make it in the league. Stone, however, is different.
“If I find a rookie who’s willing to listen, willing to work, I’m going to stick with you,” Pierce said in the article. “I’m just trying to get his habits together now as a young player,” he added.
Stone has made it clear he is grateful to learn from an NBA champion like Pierce.
“Working with a guy with 26,000 points and learning every little detail about footwork and shot fakes and everything, it helps my game,” Stone told clippers.com.
Pierce has been teaching Stone the footwork and moves he has used on his way to scoring 20 points per game in his career, which has left Stone impressed.
“You know what shot he’s going to take, but you still can’t stop it,” Stone said in the article. “I’ve just tried to contest it the best I can.”
Pierce is one of the oldest players in the NBA, while Stone is one of the youngest. Together, they are forming a relationship that will benefit them both.
