Chris Paul and Steve Kerr Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Paul and Steve Kerr are already plenty familiar with one another and not necessarily in the best way.

The surprising news broke on Thursday that the Golden State Warriors were acquiring 12-time All-Star guard Paul in a big trade with the Washington Wizards. Paul is a longtime rival who battled against the Warriors for many years in the Pacific Division and in multiple head-to-head playoff matchups.

An old clip from one of those aforementioned battles went viral in the wake of the big trade. During a Warriors game in 2018, Kerr began joking around from the bench with Paul, who was on the Houston Rockets at the time. Paul responded with a priceless fake laugh before suddenly getting serious.

On Thursday, many Twitter users recalled the hilarious moment, which had already become an iconic meme and is now taking on a second life.

Who would have thought that Kerr would become Paul’s head coach in Golden State within five years of that interaction? Life sure comes at you fast.

Things might be a little bit awkward at first between Paul and the Warriors, who have had other petty rivalry moments with each other before. But with their mutual goal being to win an NBA championship, the two sides should be able to make peace pretty quickly.

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