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Aaron Nesmith’s revenge story

Originally posted on Ball Exclusives | By Titan Frey | Last updated May 29, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Aaron Nesmith’s revenge story will make any fan smile. Nesmith was never a star in the league, but he’s quickly become a star for his team.

After a solid college career that ended with injury, Nesmith was drafted 14th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Boston Celtics selected Nesmith and despite Kemba Walker’s injury, fellow rookie Payton Pritchard was given most of Walker’s minutes.

In two seasons with the Celtics, Nesmith averaged 4.2 points in 12.7 minutes per game. On July 9, 2022, the Celtics traded Nesmith to the Indiana Pacers, in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon.

Brogdon averaged 19.1 points and 5.9 assists per game for the Pacers but only played 36 games due to injury. After the trade, BleacherReport put out a meme on X, showing SpongeBob Square Pants’ hand, holding a paper clip with a string.

The caption read, “What the Celtics gave up for Brogdon.”

What the Celtics gave up for Brogdon pic.twitter.com/8GFYW72WWy

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2022

Aaron Nesmith’s revenge

This post was certainly disrespectful towards Nesmith and he immediately screenshot the meme. Fast forward to 2024, Nesmith scored 19 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting, in Game 7 against the New York Knicks. This was in the Semifinals.

After the game, Nesmith responded with a post on Instagram, showing the SpongeBob picture with some words added of his own.

Aaron Nesmith shared this on his IG Story pic.twitter.com/mxquYImOdt

— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) October 29, 2023

Today, Nesmith continues to play incredible basketball for the Pacers. This includes his 20-point fourth quarter on 6-7 shooting, in Game 1 vs. the Knicks.

Aaron Nesmith’s revenge story continues to blossom. He and his Pacers are just one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals.

(H/T ClutchPoints)

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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