Sometimes the truth hurts.
It definitely did for Paul Pierce, who became a Boston Celtics playoff legend and NBA Hall of Famer, but grew up hating one team more than any other.
Paul Pierce eventually found a way to support his Boston CelticsGettyPierce was born in California and had one team when he was a kid.
The same team that featured Magic Johnson, helped define the NBA’s rise in the 1980s, and was a bitter cross-country rival of the Celtics.
“I was an avid basketball fan. And growing up in Los Angeles, Inglewood, down the street from The Forum, I couldn’t stand the Celtics,” Pierce told ESPN in 2019.
“I hated the Celtics so much. You understand the rivalry. I hated Larry Bird, I hated everything about the Celtics.”
Pierce wasn’t just drafted by Boston.
He thrived on the East Coast, a world away from the glamor and sunshine of Los Angeles and the Showtime Lakers.
“Growing up on the west coast, especially LA, you hate the Boston Celtics,” Pierce said. “You’re just you’re grandfathered into that.”
From 1998 to 2013, Pierce was a Celtic and only a Celtic.
He finished his 19-year NBA career playing for four teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards.
But even in 2025, Pierce is instantly associated with Celtic green.
GettyPierce was one of the best players in the NBA while wearing Celtic green[/caption] GettyLarry Bird and Magic Johnson captured the peak of the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers[/caption]In franchise history, he ranks only behind John Havlicek for the most points scored and is first in made 3-pointers (1,823) and free throws (6,434).
Pierce is a Hall of Famer with 10 All-Star selections and a 2008 NBA Finals MVP. He also made over $200 million over the course of his career.
When he led Boston to a world title in ’08, the Celtics beat his favorite childhood team — which featured Kobe Bryant — on basketball’s biggest stage.
It was Pierce and his Celtics defeating Los Angeles’ Lakers 4-2 for a shining trophy.
“It’s real ironic that I get drafted by the Celtics and play against the Lakers and win a championship against them,” Pierce said.
But he wasn’t done with the Celtics hate.
“Larry Bird, I hated him more than anything,” a smiling Pierce said as he recalled his fandom before turning pro, which all changed after the 1998 draft.
Pierce led Celtics to a world title in 2008Getty Boston beat historic rival Lakers that included Kobe BryantGetty Pierce (right) won Finals MVP and delivered title alongside Allen and GarnettGettyFast forward to 2024 and the Celtics were NBA champions once again.
Last year, the Cs clinched the Larry O’Brien Trophy with a blowout 106-88 Game 5 win in front of their home fans inside TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown replicated Pierce’s feat and won Finals MVP after averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and five assists per game.
They were unable to go back-to-back this season, though.
Boston cruised through the regular season, finishing with a 61-21 record that saw them finish second in the Eastern Conference.
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But they crashed out of the postseason in the second round at the hands of the New York Knicks, losing game six of the series, 119-81.
Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury in Game 4 and did not play the rest of the series.
He’s since undergone successful surgery but is expected to miss the entire 2025-26 season.
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