On Sunday night, after the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics honored their former forward Paul Pierce by retiring his No. 34 jersey. Pierce became the 22nd player who got his jersey retired by the Celtics organization, joining the names of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Bill Russell among others.
Inglewood made him.
Kansas shaped him.
But he was always a Celtic and that is The Truth.#ThankYouPaul pic.twitter.com/anzr8a6QDl— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 11, 2018
“When you are forever with the Celtics, you’re forever,” – said Pierce said following the ceremony. “If I never make the Hall of Fame or anything, to go up and make the rafters as a retired number for the Celtics, that’s just enough. That’s enough for me. Everything else is icing on the cake.“
Celtics also played an in-game video dedicated to Paul Pierce in which former and current NBA legends spoke about how much they respected him and his contribution to the game. This particularly moved Pierce.
“I didn’t expect that at all, especially coming from rivals and it just helps me realize the impact that I was able to have and the respect that I was given throughout the course of my career,” – said Pierce. “You’ve heard Kobe say it, you’ve heard LeBron [James] say it. I wasn’t a flashy player or had the commercials and top-selling shoes, but I was a player that was well-respected, and people know when I came into the gym that they had to be ready also. For them to give the praise they gave that means a lot because Magic Johnson was my idol and Kobe Bryant was my rival. It means a lot.“
Paul Pierce was drafted by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA Draft as the tenth overall pick. He went on to play 15 years for the team, winning the NBA Championship in 2008 and being named the NBA Finals MVP the same year. He also spent time with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers before signing a ceremonial contract with the Celtics in 2017 so he could retire as a Celtic. Pierce now works for ESPN as a basketball analyst.
