Bill Russell, then Larry Bird, then Paul Pierce. Those three names have defined Boston Celtics‘ history, leading them to seventeen championships. The last of them came thanks to Pierce, who next to Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen built one of the strongest teams in recent basketball history.
While not beloved by other fanbases and living in the shadow of other great small forwards of his time, Pierce is one of the greatest players in Celtics history. He spent fifteen years with the organization, giving them their heart and soul.
Recently inducted into the HoF, Pierce’s career was quite remarkable. Here, we’re set to honor him by letting you all know everything there is about his life, playing days, his rivalry with LeBron James, and what he’s up to these days.
Paul Pierce – Early Life
Born in Oakland but raised in Inglewood, California; Pierce actually grew up as a diehard Los Angeles Lakers fan. He struggled early in his high school career, being cut from the varsity squad in both his freshman and sophomore years. He thought of transferring but rathered work hard, put in extra hours of work, and ended up becoming a McDonald’s All-American and the start of his high school team.
Paul Pierce – College Career
Pierce averaged 27 points, 4 assists, and 11 boards per game, gauging plenty of nationwide attention from multiple programs. Eventually, he committed to Kansas to play for the Jayhawks, instantly becoming one of the most prominent players in the Big 8 thanks to his scoring prowess.
The talented small forward spent three seasons with the Jayhawks, earning MVP honors in back-to-back seasons before committing to the NBA Draft. He graduated as their fifth-leading scorer with 1,786 points.
Paul Pierce – A Boston Celtics Legend
Pierce’s NBA career started with the Celtics taking him 10th overall in 1998, making an immediate impact, and finishing third in ROY voting. His scoring averages went up every year for the first three seasons. Then, he established himself as one of the league’s finest scorers, becoming a yearly All-Star and with his clutch shots and three-point shooting as his registered trademark.
Next to Antoine Walker, Pierce led the Celtics to the Conference Finals and the second round of the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. They were one piece away from contention, yet the front office failed to surround them with enough talent for years.
Even so, Pierce stood loyal to the team through thick and thin. But after a couple of seasons of not even making the playoffs, the Celtics finally decided to go all-in and put together a team good enough to go the distance.
Pierce spent fifteen of his nineteen-year career with the organization and trails only John Havlicek and Robert Parish in games played at 1,102.
Paul Pierce – 2008 NBA Finals
Pierce’s consecration came during the 2007-08 season. With Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett now on the team, the Celtics finally had the team to dominate in the East. They won a league-best 66 games that season and then routed the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. Finally, they handled the Detroit Pistons in six games, reaching the NBA Finals against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Pierce averaged 21.8 points, 4,5 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.2 steals on 42% from the floor and earned Finals MVP honors after a six-game series.
Paul Pierce – Leaving Boston
The Celtics made it to the NBA Finals again in 2010 but Kobe’s Lakers got their revenge. They were playoff contenders every season but still couldn’t get the job done. Then, in 2012, one year after Ray Allen left and with Rajon Rondo out with an ACL injury, the Celtics felt like it was time to rebuild.
So, they traded away Pierce, Garnett, and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets in return for multiple picks and five players. That would turn out to be one of the most lopsided trades ever, as the Nets were a borderline playoff team, while the Celtics eventually turned those picks into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Pierce spent a couple of seasons in Brooklyn before signing a two-year deal with the Washington Wizards. However, he opted out after just one season to play for Doc Rivers again, this time with the Los Angeles Clippers. He spent two seasons with the team before being waived and signing a ceremonial one-day contract to retire as a Celtic.
Paul Pierce – NBA Countdown Controversy And Post-Playing Career
Shortly after retirement, Pierce joined ESPN as an analyst for NBA Countdown and The Jump. But even though the network had big plans for him, Pierce’s hot takes and constant digs at other players didn’t sit well with the fans. Then, in 2021, he was fired after a controversial Instagram Live session in which he appeared with several models in bikinis, twerking, smoking, drinking, and playing poker.
Pierce responded by laughing it off and stating that ‘even when he loses, he wins’, as he wasn’t that pleased with his role with the network anyway.
Paul Pierce – Awards And Accolades
Throughout his remarkable NBA career, Pierce made it to the NBA All-Star Team 10 times. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team once, and three times to the All-NBA Third Team. He was also a part of the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Pierce won the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2010, was a part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, won one NBA Championship with one NBA Finals MVP, and had his no. 34 jersey retired by the Boston Celtics.
He was also a McDonald’s All-American and considered one of the 35 greatest players in their history, as well as California Mr. Basketball. Then, in college, he was a Consensus First-Team All-America, a First-Team All-Big 12, Third-Team All-Big 12, won two Big 12 Tournament MVPs, and had his no. 34 jersey retired by the Kansas Jayhawks. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, and the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
Paul Pierce – Net Worth
Paul Pierce has an estimated net worth of $70 million. He earned most of his wealth through his successful career as an NBA player, playing for teams including the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Washington Wizards. He also has endorsement deals with companies like Converse, Spalding and Powerade.
Why Is Paul Pierce Called The Truth?
Back in 2001 when Pierce was still an up-and-coming player in the league, Shaq gave him ‘The Truth’ nickname after a game between Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. Pierce led his team with 42 points in the loss but Shaq was in awe of his performance:
“Take this down: My name is Shaquille O’Neal and Paul Pierce is the motherf***ing truth, quote me on that and don’t take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn’t know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is The Truth.”
Shaquille O’Neal
The rest is history.
Did Paul Pierce Really Hurt His Knee In The NBA Finals?
One of Pierce’s most iconic moments came during the third quarter of Game 1 of the 2008 Finals. Pierce fell and crashed with Kendrick Perkins and grabbed his knee in pain. He was rushed to the locker room in a wheelchair but later came back into the game with a knee wrap, all but cementing his status as a hard-fighting player.
Years later, Pierce himself fueled some wild rumors about that knee injury. He claimed that he wasn’t really hurt and all he needed was to… relieve himself in the toilet:
“I have a confession to make,” Pierce said. “I just had to go to the bathroom. Something went down, and I had to go to the bathroom.”
Fans speculated that Pierce had suffered an ‘accident,’ so he had to clear the air afterward:
“I can’t believe people believe, so listen to this, I want fans to hear this,” Pierce told the media. “If you poop your pants, does it make sense to sit down and mush it in a wheelchair? No. I would walk back there straight to the bathroom. Why would I need a wheelchair if I pooped my pants? You don’t sit down on your poop.”
And that’s ‘The Truth’!
How Did Paul Pierce Almost Die?
Long before he became a Celtics legend, Paul Pierce had a close encounter with death. Back in 2000, Pierce was stabbed eleven times at the “Buzz Club” in Boston. He suffered wounds in the neck, back, and faced and had a bottle smashed over his head.
Pierce’s teammate Tonny Battie and Battie’s brother saved him and rushed him to the hospital. Notably, even though Pierce needed lung surgery to survive, he was the only player to start in all 82 games during the 2000-01 NBA season.
A couple of years after that incident, Pierce donated $2.5 million to the Tufts-New England Medical Center, helping them boost their high-tech surgical center. Also, he claimed that he struggled with depression after being stabbed, claiming to be paranoid in big crowds, and suffering from PTSD.
What Records Does Paul Pierce Hold?
As of today, Paul Pierce still holds many records in Boston Celtics’ franchise history, including:
- Most three-pointers made: 1,578
- Most three-pointers attempted: 4,273
- Most free throws made: 5,808
- Most free-throws attempted: 7,212
- Highest PPG average through one month: 33.5 PPG in February 2006
- He’s the only Celtics player to lead the NBA in total points scored in a season: 2,144 in 2001–02
- Most points scored in a half (including OT): 46 points on December 1, 2001, in the second half vs. the New Jersey Nets
- Most points scored in OT: 13 on December 1, 2001, vs. the New Jersey Nets
- Oldest player to score 40+ points in a single game: 35 years, 2 months, and 6 days old on December 19, 2012, vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Most steals in one game: 9 on December 3, 1999, vs. the Miami Heat. He holds this record with Larry Bird.
- Most free throws made in a single game: 20 on November 2, 2002, vs. the New York Knicks
- Most free throws attempted in a single game: 24 on November 5, 2005, vs. the New York Knicks
- Most free throws made in one season: 627 during the 2005–06 season
- Most free throws attempted in one season: 812 during the 2005–06 season
- Most free throws made in one half: 14 on March 2, 2001, vs. the Utah Jazz
- Most points scored in one half of a playoffs game: 32 on Game 4 of the 2003 Eastern Conference First Round vs. the Indiana Pacers
- Most free throws made without a miss in a playoffs game: 21 on Game 1 of the 2003 Eastern Conference First Round vs. the Indiana Pacers
- Third, in games played (1,102)
- Second in points scored (24,021) behind John Havlicek
- Third in field goals made (7,882)
- Second in Points Per Game (21.8) behind Larry Bird
- Leader in Turnovers (3,123)
- Third in Win Shares (138.4)
- Second in Value Over Replacement (62.6) behind Larry Bird
