Paul Pierce
(Born 1977)
Hall of Fame Induction: 2021
Card Shown: 2019-20 Panini
Impeccable Shots Signatures
Position: SF/SG
Height: 6’7″
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Paul Pierce played high school basketball at Inglewood High near Los Angeles, college basketball for Kansas, and dreamed of playing for the Lakers one day. However, he ended up being drafted by their arch rival Boston Celtics. Despite this unexpected landing spot in the NBA, Paul helped to lead the Celtics to an NBA championship and was happy to play a part in creating history for one of the most historic franchises in the game.
Awards and Honors
- Paul was selected as a 1994-95 McDonald’s All American for his play at Inglewood High School and later chosen as 1997-98 NCAA All America for his stellar play at Kansas.
- Pierce was named to the 1998-99 NBA All-Rookie First Team with Mike Bibby, Matt Harpring, Jason Williams and Vince Carter.
- Paul was a 10-time NBA All-Star during his 15 years with the Celtics. He finished his career with stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and LA Clippers.
- Pierce led Boston to its 17th NBA Championship in 2008 and he was named the NBA Finals MVP. Also starring on that Celtics team were Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo.
- Paul received All-NBA recognition four times: second team honors once and third team honors three times.
- Named
Points of Interest
- One of the great volume three-point shooters in the game, Paul finished his career with 2,143 treys on 36.8% shooting.
- Drafted into the NBA with the 10th selection in the 1998 draft, Pierce was surprised how far he fell. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Paul read the names of each team that had passed on him, saying it “added fuel to my fire” during his NBA career. Still, he was grateful to end up with the Celtics, believing that everything happened for a reason.
- When he retired in 2017, Paul held the record for second most points in Celtics history behind only John Havlicek. That is an impressive record for the famed Boston franchise which boasts many other Hall of Famers such as Larry Bird, Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale.
- Pierce finished his illustrious NBA career with totals of 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game.
- The Boston Celtics honored Paul Pierce by retiring his number 34 jersey in February, 2018. It will forever hang in the Boston’s rafters, cementing Pierce’s legacy as one of the greatest Celtics ever.
Statistics
Paul Pierce Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Personal Interaction
My son (Joshua) and I had the opportunity to attend in-person the announcement for the 2021 Hall of Fame class at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. That was a special event! Paul was only a few feet away from us when he walked down the red carpet toward the stage on the Jerry Colangelo court at the hall to be introduced. After he was briefly interviewed and posed for pictures with a jersey, Paul and the rest of the future inductees retreated to an area off limits to the public. We walked out with a few of the players as they went toward their limos, but Paul was screened off by security and did not stop to sign cards for us. Congratulations, Paul on being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame!
Autographed Paul Pierce Cards
