Paul Pierce

Paul Anthony Pierce is an American Basketball player born on October 13, 1977, in Oakland, California. He began his professional basketball career after being selected as the 10th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 1998 NBA draft. He played for almost fifteen years with the Boston Celtics.

On March 13, 2001, Shaquille O’Neal nicknamed him “The Truth” after a 112-107 Los Angeles victory over the Celtics. Paul scored 42 points on 13-of-19 shooting. Shaquille O’Neal called Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald’s reporter and said, “Take this down, My name is Shaquille O’Neal, and Paul Pierce is the motherfucking truth.” He said, “I knew he could play, but I did not think he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the Truth.”

In 2007, Paul collaborated with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to establish a “Big Three” team. This team assisted the Boston Celtics to two NBA Finals and an NBA championship in 2008. Paul was rewarded as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in 2008. He is one of the three players with over 20,000 career points, along with Larry Bird and John Havlicek.

Paul Pierce Early Life

Paul was enrolled at Inglewood High School in Inglewood, California. He was not allowed to play in the school’s basketball team during his first and second years. But later, at the end of his Junior year, he became the best player in the team by averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds and four assists per game. Paul participated in the 1995 McDonald’s All-American Game and was a contender in the game’s Slam Dunk Contest.

Paul joined Kansas and spent three years between 1995 and 1998. Later, he was chosen as a “second-team Freshman All-American” by Basketball Weekly. He was selected in USA’s under-22 team roster during the summer of 1996.

Paul averaged 21.7 points in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and was honoured with the Most Valuable Player award. In Kansas History, he ranks fifth on the leading board, scoring 1786 points and 11th on the all-time rebounds list (676 points).

NBA Journey

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics recruited Paul Pierce as the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. He recorded 19 or more points in 10 out of his first 11 contests. He finished his first season by averaging 16.5 points, and this score raised to 19.5 points per game in the second season. During the 2000-01 season, he played 82 games, averaging 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.68 steals in 38 minutes. He was titled the NBA Player of the Month after averaging 30.3 points in March 2001.

During the 2001-02 season, Paul was regarded as Eastern Conference Co-Player of the Month twice in December and April. That season, he guided the Celtics to the playoffs and the Eastern Conference Finals. Pierce made it to the All-Star every season from 2002 to 2006. He completed the league by scoring 2,144 points in 2002.

NBA Champion and Finals

The “Big Three” team of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett led the Boston Celtics to 66 wins in the regular season. The team played all seven games in the first round for Atlanta Hawks, and in Game 7, Paul scored the second-highest Game 7 points in franchise history against Cleveland Cavaliers.

Paul suffered from an injury in Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers on June 5, 2008. However, he returned to the court after resting for a few minutes, leading the Celtics to a 98-88 victory over the Lakers. He was rewarded as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, averaging 22 points per game over the six-game series.

Coming Up Short

During the 2008-09 NBA season, the Boston Celtics and Paul decided to repeat as world champions. Paul Pierce missed only one game in the entire season and was named to the 2009 NBA All-Star Game and All-NBA Second Team for the first time. The Celtics lost the second round of the 2009 NBA Playoffs, with Kevin Garnett injured.

In the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Boston Celtics beat Miami Heat with a score of 100-98 in the first round and defeated the Cavaliers in the second round. They encountered the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals and beat them in six games, advancing to the Second Finals. Paul decided to leave his contract on June 29, 2010, and declared himself a free agent on July 1, 2010. Later, he re-signed with the Celtics to a four-year extension for the 2013-14 season.

He became the third player in the Celtic's history to score the 20,000th career point on a free throw during a match against the Milwaukee Bucks on November 3, 2010. He eliminated the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs and finished the season with the number 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Paul ranked second in the scoring list of the Boston Celtics, scoring 15 points in a game against the Charlotte Bobcats on February 7, 2012. He participated in his 1000th career game with the Celtics in a championship against the Portland Trail Blazers and completed the 2011-12 season by averaging 19.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists.

Final Season in Boston

The 2012-13 season went unplanned for the Boston Celtics as the All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo left due to a torn ACL injury. Paul scored 17 points in his first triple-double on January 27, 2013. Again, on February 10, 2013, he recorded his second triple-double of the season, scoring 27 points and 14 rebounds.

Pierce recorded his third triple-double on March 29, 2013, against the Atlanta Hawks and finished the season with an average score of 18.6 points. The Celtics lost a match to the New York Knicks in the first round in six games.

Brooklyn Nets

On the day of the NBA draft (June 28, 2013), Paul was traded by the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics, along with Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry, for future first-round picks in the 2014, 2016 and 2018 drafts. The agreement was completed on July 12, 2013, with Brooklyn receiving D. J. White and the Celtics getting the right to swap the first-round picks in the 2017 NBA draft.

During the 2013-14 season, Paul appeared in 75 games and averaged 13.5 points, 2.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds in 28 minutes. He became the only active NBA member and the sixth player in NBA History to score 1,000 points in 15 straight seasons. He ranked fifth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, scoring 1,935 career-three-pointers made. In a game against the Atlanta Hawks held on April 11, 2014, he became the fourth active player and 18th player in the history of the NBA to score 25,000 career points.

Washington Wizards

On July 17, 2014, Paul was traded to the Washington Wizards based on a two-year contract worth $11 million. On November 25, 2014, he averaged 14 points and passed Jerry West for the 17th place on the NBA’s career scoring list. Paul scored his career-high 28 points in a match against the Boston Celtics. He eliminated Alex English for 15th place on the NBA’s scoring list, scoring 11 points against the Charlotte Hornets and finished the season with 11.9 average points per game.

On May 9, 2015, Paul defeated the Atlanta Hawks with a score of 103-101 and took a 2-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. He finished the game with seven rebounds and thirteen points. Paul Pierce opted out of the second year of his contract with the Washington Wizards, becoming an unrestricted agent on June 27, 2015.

Los Angeles Clippers

On July 10, 2015, Paul was recruited by the Los Angeles Lakers based on a three-year contract worth $10 million. He played his first match for this team against the Sacramento Kings on October 28, scoring 12 points in a 111-104 win. Paul started the season as a role player for the first time. He recorded six points in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on December 16.

He declared that the 2016-17 season would be his last season in the NBA. Paul entered the game on February 5, 2017, in Boston and played the first five minutes before heading to the bench. The viewers shouted his name in the final minutes, but he did not re-enter the match when 19 seconds were left. Paul hit a three-pointer to end the game. He recorded all his 10 points in the final five minutes, and the Clippers defeated the Houston Rockets with a 125-97 win. The Los Angeles Clippers finished the regular season but lost the first-round playoff series to the Utah Jazz in seven games.

On April 30, 2017, the NBA career of Paul Pierce ended at the final buzzer of Game 7. He averaged 11.1 minutes in his finals and was suspended by the Clippers on June 28, 2017. Paul signed a ceremonial contract with the Boston Celtics on June 17, 2017, to retire with the team.

Paul Pierce's Net Worth

As of 2023, The net worth of Paul Pierce is estimated to be around $200 million. He is among the 30 highest-paid basketball players. Another astonishing fact is that he earned over 230 million dollars from basketball.

Moreover, He has made nearly 20 million dollars from brand endorsements and other bonuses.

Paul Pierce Parents

Born on October 13, 1977, Pierce was raised by his single mother, Lorraine Hosey. His father, George Pierce and his mother separated when he was just one year old. That is why Paul never knew his dad until he was older. He has two older brothers- Jamal and Steve.

His mother always encouraged him to participate in sports. Jamel & Steve always supported him and taught about how to do things.