ORLANDO, Fla. -- Whether it came to choosing pregame tunes to hype the team or picking the coolest spot for the postgame meal, twin brothers Aaron and Andrew Harrison could always be counted to boost the occasion's intensity and entertainment value.
"They would always just go at it," former teammate Dakari Johnson recalled Sunday of their time at the University of Kentucky. "They'd argue all the time about the smallest things. Anything would come up, and they're just going back and forth with each other. It never stopped, and it was just so funny."
When Aaron wanted pizza, Andrew preferred burgers or steak.
When Andrew picked blue team gear, Andrew countered with white.
Few decisions in their two successful college seasons were made without debate.
But these days, the Harrison brothers can easily agree on one thing: extending their careers into the NBA promises to be far tougher than marching into the Final Four last spring with an unblemished 38-0 record before losing in the national semifinal game to Wisconsin.
If the odds of one Harrison brother securing an NBA roster spot are overwhelming considering neither was a first-round pick in the June 25 draft, then both landing jobs in the league as rookies next season might require a miracle. Perhaps that best explains why Aaron and Andrew, both 20 and born a minute apart, didn't take Sunday's moment for granted when they officially faced one another as opponents for the first time in their lives in an Orlando Pro Summer League game.
An undrafted free agent, Aaron led a fierce rally from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points, eight assists and four rebounds for the Charlotte Hornets. But it was Andrew's team that got the win after the Memphis Grizzlies' second-round pick added nine points and six rebounds in a 79-75 victory in front of a standing-room only crowd of NBA executives and players.
Although Aaron had the better individual performance, the outcome of the game provided the ultimate argument ender for at least one night.
"No, we don't look at each other as competition; we want to push each other and things like that," Andrew said. "But we just want each other to play well. We played all right today. But I won, so ..."
Andrew then looked at his older brother, and Aaron dropped his head and smiled without an immediate response. It was easy to push through the initial awkwardness of playing on separate teams because they share the same goal of becoming next in a line of more than 50 sibling groups to play in the NBA.
The Harrisons begin their quest at the most prominent time in NBA history for siblings groups. Pau and Marc Gasol became the first set of brothers to start opposite of one another in February's All-Star Game. And when Pau's Chicago Bulls and Marc's Grizzlies advanced to the playoffs, they were joined among the postseason field by Brook and Robin Lopez, fellow centers who anchored Brooklyn and Portland.
Among other current sibling rivals in the league are Markieff and Marcus Morris, Cody and Tyler Zeller, Goran and Zoran Dragic and Miles and Mason Plumlee. The trend reaches back into the 1960s with the Arsdales and runs through the 1970s with the likes of the Jones and King brothers, the 1980s with the Wilkins, Paxsons and Prices and through the 1990s with the Grants and Barrys.
Few have a better appreciation for the moment the Harrisons experienced Sunday than Zoran Dragic, a guard with the Heat's summer league team who was traded to Miami last season in a deal headlined by older brother Goran. The Dragic brothers are separated in age by two years, but Zoran said he remembers playing against Goran only once as a teen during a youth tournament in their native Slovenia.
"One thing you understand is that you are at different stages and have different roles, but it's special to be in this situation," said Zoran, who watched the end of the Harrison's Hornets-Grizzlies game Sunday before he played in the Heat's victory against Brooklyn. "It's tough to make it in this league together, especially when you're coming from Europe. When Goran made it, I wanted so bad to make it, too."
But there's also another side of the equation: the NBA sibling struggle. While Goran recently agreed to a five-year, $90 million contract in free agency, Zoran is battling through summer league to stay in the league. That's also the case with the Curry brothers, with Stephen coming off an MVP season and NBA title in Golden State while younger brother Seth tries to catch on while playing in the NBA D-League.
And whereas Blake Griffin rapidly developed into a superstar with the Los Angeles Clippers, older brother Taylor Griffin quickly washed out with the Phoenix Suns and has bounced around the D-League.
Sharing the same DNA guarantees nothing in the NBA.
For the Harrisons, that means nothing beyond a shot to potentially shine this week in summer league. Although both are combo guards, the Harrisons spent the majority of Sunday's game assigned to other players. But like most in the gym, Zoran noticed the rare moments when they defended one another.
"It was just like I felt when I faced my brother," Zoran said. "There's no brother left anymore. We go hard at it. And then after the game, then we're again brothers."
Setting emotions aside was a priority in the heat of competition. The Harrisons face stiff competition for roster spots. Andrew was one of six Kentucky players drafted when he was chosen by Phoenix with the No. 44 pick and traded to Memphis. The Grizzlies are looking to upgrade their 3-point shooting, but return a deep guard rotation that includes veterans Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Tony Allen, Vince Carter and Beno Udrih in addition to 2014 draft picks Jordan Adams and Russ Smith.
Smith, who was in a similar situation as a second-round pick last season, said Andrew Harrison has already shown confidence and leadership in the initial stages of adjusting to the NBA in summer league.
"He knows what to do -- he was a winner at Kentucky," Smith said of Andrew Harrison. "He just takes control. He wants the ball, and I just tell him to keep that aggressiveness and see how far it takes him. It's more than just about the game, though. It's a lot to get used to at this level. It doesn't get easier."
For Aaron, the adjustment includes learning to play more point guard and being a facilitator after spending two seasons at Kentucky primarily looking to score. After Harrison's rough outing in his summer league debut Saturday, when he missed five of six shots from 3-point range and had just two assists, Hornets summer league coach Patrick Ewing said the rookie "took a step back" in his development. Ewing admonished Aaron for looking too much for his shot instead of facilitating.
A day later, Harrison took charge in the fourth quarter, mixed his attack by driving to the rim on some plays and drawing defenders before kicking out to shooters on others. The Hornets were a plus-20 with Harrison in the game and sliced a 19-point deficit to one before coming up short in the final minute.
Ewing said Aaron needs to continue to build on that performance if he wants to head to training camp in October with an opportunity to compete for a backup role behind point guard Kemba Walker.
"He played a pretty good game and he attacked," Ewing said. "There were times he penetrated too much and tried to make a play when it wasn't there. But overall, he did a good job. He's naturally a scorer. But if he expects to play for us, he's going to have to share the ball, get the ball to our scorers."
It's all part of the learning process this week in Orlando.
There's plenty of hard work ahead for the Harrisons.
"We argued about silly stuff like clothes and shoes," Aaron said. "It's just all in fun. We're always competitors, but also fighting for the same thing. I'm already proud of [Andrew] and for us getting this far. He feels the same. To take the next step from here would be a dream come true for both of us."
There's no debating that.