When Paul Pierce retires next summer, it will be as a member of the Boston Celtics.
We here at The Hoop Doctors offer the sincerest condolences to Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards fans who have been holding out hope he might pick their team to retire with.
Pierce confirmed this not-at-all-shocking, totally expected news on SiriusXM NBA radio, per NBA Today host Justin Termine:
Paul Pierce confirmed to us on @SiriusXMNBA that he'll retire as a Celtic after the season… Said he owes it to himself and the fans.
— Justin Termine (@TermineRadio) October 12, 2016
Quite obviously, this makes sense. Pierce spent his first 15 seasons with the Celtics, during which time he won a championship, made 10 All-Star appearances and helped found a multitude of on-court beefs.
At 37, of course, Pierce is a fraction of the player he was. But thinking about his retirement, about his time with the Celtics, you can’t help but wonder whether he’s underrated in the grand scheme of things.
Pierce was one of the most versatile players at his speak—a clutch-scoring machine who dabbled in passing artistry and could come up with a big defensive stop. As it stands, Pierce is one of five players to ever amass 25,000 points, 7,000 rebounds, 4,500 assists and 1,500 steals for his career, according to Basketball-Reference.
His company?
Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James and Karl Malone.
And yet, while Pierce is reflexively recognized as one of the best players of his generation, he’s not as often discussed alongside the best of the best of all time.
It’s time that changed.
