Paul Pierce

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Lore & Background

Pierce's path to greatness began with resilience. As a high school sophomore at Inglewood High, he was cut from the varsity team twice before returning to average 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in his senior year. At the University of Kansas (1995–1998), he earned consensus first-team All-America honors as a junior, scoring 777 points—the fifth-most single-season total in Jayhawks history. After being drafted by Boston in 1998, Pierce endured a lean period before becoming an all-around force; in the 2000–01 season, he averaged 25.3 points, leading the league in fourth-quarter comebacks and earning Eastern Conference Co-Player of the Month honors twice in 2001–02. The defining moment of his tenure arrived in Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Injured in the third quarter and carried off appearing to be in serious pain, Pierce returned minutes later to score 15 points in that quarter alone, sparking a 98–88 victory. He averaged 22 points per game over the six-game series to claim the Finals MVP.

In Their Own Story

The 2007 offseason marked a seismic shift for the Boston Celtics. After nearly trading Pierce to the Dallas Mavericks, the team instead fulfilled his request for a co-star by acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. This formation of the "Big Three" led to the largest single-season turnaround in NBA history, with the team improving by 42 games to finish with 66 wins. The playoffs tested this new unit immediately; the Atlanta Hawks pushed them to seven games in the first round, followed by a grueling series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In Game 7 of that semifinal, Pierce scored 41 points—the second most in franchise history for a Game 7—to secure their spot in the Eastern Conference Finals. They defeated the Detroit Pistons in six games to reach the NBA Finals. Facing the Lakers again, the Celtics took a 3–2 lead before losing Game 6 and Game 7 of the 2010 rematch, but the 2008 victory stood as the pinnacle of his career, ending a championship drought that had spanned two decades.

Reader's Guide

Paul Pierce's professional journey with Boston lasted from 1998 until July 2013. He established himself early by scoring 19 or more points in 10 of his first 11 contests and finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. His consistency earned him 10 All-Star selections, starting in 2002. In November 2010, he became only the third player in Celtics history to reach 20,000 career points solely while wearing a Celtics uniform. After leading Boston to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2008 and 2010, Pierce opted out of his contract in 2010 before re-signing for four years. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in July 2013 alongside Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry. Following a stint with the Washington Wizards (2014) and two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, he retired in 2017. On July 17, 2017, the Celtics signed him to a contract specifically so he could retire as a member of the organization where he spent his first 15 seasons.

Did You Know?

• Pierce was cut from his high school varsity basketball team during both his freshman and sophomore years.
• He scored 41 points in Game 7 against the Cavaliers in 2008, the second-highest total in Celtics franchise history for a Game 7.
• Shaquille O'Neal gave Pierce the nickname "the Truth" in 2001.
• In 2010, Pierce became the first Celtic since Larry Bird to win the Three-Point Contest at the All-Star Game.
• Pierce was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.