Paul Pierce is officially walking away from the game of basketball and is former team is already showing him love just a day afterwards. While appearing on 98.5 The Sport Hub’s Toucher and Rich show, Boston Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck confirmed that the team will retire Paul Pierce’s number 34 in the rafters of the TD Garden.
After 19 NBA seasons, 15 of which he spent in Boston, Pierce retired from the league following his Los Angeles Clippers’ Game 7 defeat at the hands of the Utah Jazz. During his time with the Celtics Pierce made 10 All-Star teams, earned the second spot on the team’s all-time scoring list, and lead Boston to a 2008 NBA Finals victory, a series which he was the MVP of.
“The Truth” had announced at the onset of the season that the 2016-2017 NBA campaign would be his last. However, to see the future Hall of Famer actually go prompted stars from the league’s past and present to share their respect for Pierce.
Pierce’s former Celtics’ teammate Kevin Garnett teamed up with the pair’s former archival and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant to headline a video of the game’s greats paying tribute to Pierce. The video debuted on the Player’s Tribune and featured appearances by current Celtics star Isiah Thomas, Hall of Fame point guard Oscar Robertson and even Boston Red Sox great David Ortiz among others.
For years Pierce was the heart and soul of the Celtics organization. He embodied a champions mentality and earned tremendous respect from his peers for his work ethic. Paul Pierce will go down as one of the greatest players ever to put on a Boston Celtics’ uniform.
