Paul Pierce was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1998. He spent 15 seasons with the franchise before being traded. Prior to his departure, Pierce led Boston to multiple playoff appearances and helped the organization win an NBA title in 2008 against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. He also owns a lot of the Celtics individual records. He ranks second in all-time scoring in team history behind Hall of Famer John Havlicek and second to Larry Bird in points per game.
Thanks to his contributions to the team, Boston will reward Pierce by retiring his jersey next season.
This summer, the two parties had already agreed to sign Pierce to a one-day deal so that he can retire as a Celtic. Last season, Paul was still a member of the Los Angeles Clippers when he initially retired. Now, he will get the chance to officially call it quits as a member of the team he spent most of his career with. The team made the announcement Thursday, making Pierce the 23rd player in team history to get his jersey retired.
Career numbers and achievements with the Celtics
During his 19-year NBA career, Pierce was known as one of the league most prolific scorers. He was a consistent member of the Eastern Conference All-Star team and made the cut a total of 10 times. More importantly, he brought winning back to the Celtics organization that had struggled for several years after the retirement of Larry Bird.
With Boston, he averaged 21.6 ppg in the regular season and 21.4 ppg in the ten times he led the team to the playoffs.
The most memorable time from Pierce for Celtics fans was his performance in the 2008 NBA Finals. After getting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join the team during the 2007 offseason, Paul was determined to bring the trophy back to Boston.
In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, he fought back after being carried off into the locker room for an injury and netted 15 crucial points in the third quarter that helped his team get the win. His 22 ppg in the series was enough for him to take home his first and only Finals MVP award.The win helped the Celtics end a 22-year drought of not winning an NBA title.
Life after basketball
Paul Pierce has already moved on into the world of media, as he is now one of the newest NBA analysts on the scene. He currently works full-time for ESPN after joining the station this summer. He was one of the regulars to cover the 2017 NBA Finals when the Cavs took on the Warriors. He also can be seen at times on ESPN's "The Jump," on weekday afternoons.
Celtics to retire Paul Pierce's No. 34 during 2017-18 season 🍀 https://t.co/jQch8fifW6 pic.twitter.com/2aTd0NDuar
— theScore (@theScore) August 18, 2017