Paul Pierce is a retired professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association for the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2008, he became an NBA Champion along with the rest of the Celtics. He was also named that year’s NBA Finals MVP.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Paul Anthony Pierce was born on October 13, 1977, in Oakland, California in the United States of America. He stands 201 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 107 kg. He is right-handed and played small forward and shooting guard.
His family was originally from Oakland, California, and later then moved to Inglewood. He has three kids with his ex-wife Julie Pierce.
| Position | Small Forward |
| Height / weight | 2.01 m / 107 kg |
| Born | 13 Oct 1977 |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Playing Style | Right Handed |
| Nickname | The Truth |
| Team History | |
LA Clippers
|
2015 - 2017 |
Washington
|
2014 - 2015 |
Brooklyn
|
2013 - 2014 |
Boston
|
1998 - 2013 |
In 2000, he was the victim of a stabbing incident which saw him have to undergo surgery to repair his lungs. In 2018, he talked about suffering from depression after the stabbing incident.
High School and College Career
He attended Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California. In 1995, he was named California Mr Basketball. He was also named an All-American by Parade and by McDonald’s.
Later, he committed to play college basketball for the University of Kansas and was there from 1995 to 1998. In that time, he was named the Big 12 Tournament MVP in 1997 and again in 1998. Later on, the Kansas Jayhawks would retire jersey number 34 in his honor.
Professional Career
He was the 10th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, selected by the Boston Celtics. He played for the Celtics from 1998 to 2013. At that time, he was named to the 1999 NBA All-Rookie Team. In 2008, he led the Celtics to the NBA Championship win. He was also named that year’s NBA Finals MVP.
The whole time he was with the Celtics, he was also named an NBA All-Star 10 times.
Pierce has performed at his best level against the best individual competitors like Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and LeBron James. On 15th February 2006, he played against the Cleveland Cavaliers and scored a career-high 50 points.
During the 2005-06 NBA Season, amongst the top 30 players in the league, Pierce scored the highest points per shot average. On 7th March 2006, against the Washington Wizards, Pierce scored seven points in overtime on a buzzer-beater. On 8th March 2006, the Celtics defeated Philadelphia due to two late-game improbable shots by Pierce.
He has scored triple-doubles six times in his career. Between the 4th of February and the 12th of March, Pierce was associated with 14 games, and in 13 of these, he scored a minimum of 30 points. Pierce is the first Celtics player after Larry Bird to achieve 2000 points in one season.
During the 2006-07 Season, he was pestered by injuries and could participate in only 47 games. However, he sparkled in these games and managed to achieve his usual performance. Before the 2007-08 Season, he reduced his weight to 230 pounds (100 kg) and decided to focus more on defense as he was not related to offense anymore.
On 18th May 2008, Pierce registered 41 points in Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and this became the second-highest point total in the history of the franchise. He held the most three-point field goals and ranks third in the history of the Boston Celtics.
From 2013 to 2024, he was signed with the Brooklyn Nets, and from 2014 to 2015, he was with the Washington Wizards. He spent his last years in the NBA (2015-2017) playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. He retired in 2017.
Later, he would be named to the 75th NBA Anniversary Team.
Career Highlights
- 2008 - NBA champion
- 2008 - NBA Finals MVP
- 2002–2006, 2008–2012 - NBA All-Star
- 2009 - All-NBA Second Team
- 2002, 2003, 2008 - All-NBA Third Team
- 1999 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
2010 - NBA Three-Point Contest champion
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team
No. 34 retired by Boston Celtics
- 1998 - Consensus first-team All-American
- 1998 - First-team All-Big 12
- 1997 - Third-team All-Big 12
1997, 1998 - Big 12 tournament MVP
The no. 34 jersey was retired by Kansas Jayhawks
- 1995 - McDonald’s All-American
- 1995 - Second-team Parade All-American
- 1995 - California Mr. Basketball
Career NBA Statistics
- Points - 26,397 (19.7 ppg)
- Rebounds - 7,527 (5.6 rpg)
Assists - 4,708 (3.5 apg)
- Basketball Hall of Fame as player, 2021
- College Basketball Hall of Fame, 2021
