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Richard Jefferson recalls the time he had a fistfight with Kenyon Martin

Adrees Latif / Reuters

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Richard Jefferson sat down recently with Max Resetar of SLAM Magazine to reminisce about his days with the New Jersey Nets, and shared a hilarious story about a dust-up he and Kenyon Martin once had.

Jefferson, who played for the Nets from 2001-08, said it all started with him and Bonzi Wells talking trash to each other.

My rookie year, we had gone on a west coast road trip. We had gotten off to a really, really good start that year. We had lost four in a row on that west coast road trip.

Towards the end of the game, me and Bonzi Wells are kinda getting into it. Kenyon's at the bottom of the free throw line and the referee tells Kenyon, 'Tell your rookie to be quiet because I don't wanna have to give him a technical this late into the game.' Kenyon tells me, 'Hey Richard, be quiet.' Bonzi Wells goes, 'Yeah! Listen to Kenyon and shut up.' I just lose it. I'm like, 'F, Bonzi! And F you too, Kenyon!'

From there, things escalated.

I go and sit down, I'm mad, pissed off. I'm sitting down and Kenyon comes in the locker room pissed off. I stand up and he pushes me down in my seat. We have a full-on fistfight. The only thing that saved me is Aaron Williams, and you remember how big he was, grabbed him from the back to try and calm him down. My last swing hits Aaron Williams in his lip and busts his lip open. At that point in time, I realize what is going on. I have no problem fighting Kenyon. Aaron? I don't want any piece of.

However, Jefferson insists the fistfight between him and Martin actually brought them closer.

"Even that fistfight right there, we both understood how much we wanted to win and that we were willing to fight anybody, including each other, to get that done," he said.

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