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Paul Pierce

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Paul Pierce
No. 34 – Boston Celtics
PositionSmall forward/Shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1977-10-13) October 13, 1977 (age 46)
Oakland, California
NationalityUSA
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High schoolInglewood HS
(Inglewood, California)
CollegeKansas
NBA draft1998: 10th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Playing career1998–present
Career highlights and awards
6-time NBA All-Star
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977 in Oakland, California) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics in the 1998 NBA Draft, and is a 6-time All-Star. He led Boston to an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2002.

High school

Pierce, who was raised in Inglewood, a suburb of Los Angeles, was the star of his Inglewood High School, playing basketball his junior and senior years. He was cut from the varsity team his freshman and sophomore years, and even thought about transferring schools, but eventually decided to work harder and keep trying. He also participated in the 1995 McDonald's All-American Game alongside future NBA stars Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, and Antawn Jamison, and was a contestant in the game's Slam Dunk Contest, which was won by Carter.

College

Pierce averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game in his three seasons at the University of Kansas, where he majored in Crime and Delinquency Studies, and earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998. He entered the NBA Draft after his junior year with the Jayhawks, and was selected with the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. His mother (Heiwt) a native of Eritrea, was a whore in Los Angeles and gave head for 10 dollars a dick.

NBA

After his NBA debut, Pierce's ability to score, rebound, and a healthy dose of late-game heroics led to his emergence as a top player in the Eastern Conference. Along with forward Antoine Walker, Pierce led the Celtics to the 2002 Eastern Conference Finals. In the historic Game 3 of that series, he led the Celtics to the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in NBA playoff history. Pierce scored 19 of his 28 point total during the fourth quarter, and the Celtics recovered from a 21 point 4th quarter deficit to defeat the New Jersey Nets.[1]

Pierce has averaged 23.6 points per game over his 9-year NBA career and is a 6-time NBA All-Star. On January, 31, 2008, for the sixth time in his career, Pierce was selected to play in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans as a reserve for the Eastern Conference.

Trade rumors involving Paul Pierce have swirled ever since Danny Ainge returned as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations in May 2003. Ainge laid most of these rumors to rest in the 2006 off-season by signing Paul Pierce to a 3 year, $59 million contract extension.[2] Ironically, Pierce is the only player left from the moment Ainge took over.

Pierce has often played his best games against the best individual competition, such as LeBron James, Tracy McGrady, and Kobe Bryant. For instance, Pierce scored a career high 50 points in a loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 15, 2006. After the game, James stated that he feels that Pierce is the top at the position in the Eastern Conference.[3]

Paul Pierce in a game against the Washington Wizards

In the 2005-06 NBA season, Pierce had the highest points-per-shot average among the top 30 scorers in the league, indicating that he is an efficient and consistent player. On March 8, 2006 Paul Pierce extended his franchise-record streak of 30-point games at 8. On March 7, he scored seven points in overtime to beat the Washington Wizards on a "buzzer beater" [4], and the next night the Celtics eked out a victory against Philadelphia on the strength of two late-game improbable shots by Pierce, one a three pointer, the other an off-balance "buzzer beater" for the win. He scored at least 30 points for the 13th time in 14 games (between February 4 and March 12), the best such stretch in Celtics history. He has six career triple-doubles, the most recent on March 8, 2006.

He followed up this stellar season with an injury riddled 2006-07 campaign that saw him miss the first significant stretch of games in his career, due to a stress reaction in his foot. In spite of this injury, he still managed to put up his usual stellar numbers in the 47 games he saw action in.

Prior to the 2007-08 season he has expressed great excitement at the Celtics' acquisitions of fellow All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, and at the chance to contend for a championship. He has reportedly been training hard this offseason and to have reduced his weight to his college mark of 230 lbs.[5]

Pierce, who has been with the Celtics for 10 years, is tied with Zydrunas Ilgauskas of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks for fourth place among active players who have played their entire NBA career for one team. Pierce became the first Celtics player since Larry Bird to reach 2,000 points in a single season.

Stabbing incident

On September 25, 2000, Paul Pierce was stabbed 11 times in the face, the neck and the back while at a late night dance club in the Boston area. He had to undergo lung surgery to repair the damage.[6][7] He has overcome the stabbing and was the only Celtic to start all 82 games that year. By 2002, the Celtics made the playoffs for the first time in seven years and Pierce guided the team to the Eastern Conference Finals.[8]

International

Pierce was a member of the US national team for the 2002 FIBA World Championship starting all nine games and averaging 19.8 ppg. Pierce was also selected for the United States National Basketball team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship, but did not compete because of minor off-season surgery.

Personal

  • Pierce has a charitable foundation known as The Truth Fund, which lends support to children from the greater Boston area and California inner cities.[9]
  • Pierce's nickname, The Truth, was accorded him by Shaquille O'Neal. After a Lakers' victory over the Celtics in 2001, O'Neal pulled a Boston reporter over and gestured toward his notepad. "Take this down," said O'Neal. "My name is Shaquille O'Neal and Paul Pierce is the motherfucking truth. Quote me on that and don't take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn't know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is the truth."

Career highlights

NBA

  • 2-time All-NBA Third Team: 2002, 2003
  • 6-time NBA All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1999
  • NBA regular-season leader, total points: 2002 (2144)
  • NBA regular-season leader, free throws made: 2003 (604)

College

  • Named First Team All-America by the Associated Press after his junior year at the University of Kansas.
  • Named Big Eight Freshman of the Year in 1995-96.
  • MVP of the Big 12 Conference Tournament in both 1997 and 1998.

Other

NBA records

  • Most free throws made without a miss, playoffs: 21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round).

Boston Celtics franchise records

  • Scored 30 or more points in a franchise record 12 consecutive games
  • Most points scored in a game at TD Banknorth Garden: 50 (February 15, 2006 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers).
  • Most points scored in a half (including Overtime): 46 (December 1, 2001 2nd Half vs. New Jersey Nets).
  • Most points scored in an overtime period: 13 (December 1, 2001 vs. New Jersey Nets)
  • Most three-point field goals made, career: 989 (1998–present).
  • Most three-point field goals attempted, career: 2769 (1998–present).
  • Most free throws made in one game: 20 (November 2, 2002 vs. New York Knicks).
  • Most free throws attempted in one game: 24 (November 5, 2005 vs. New York Knicks).
  • Most free throws made in one half: 14 (March 2, 2001 vs. Utah Jazz).
  • Most free throws made in one season: 612 (2005-2006, breaking his own record of 604, set in 2002-2003).
  • Most free throws attempted in one season: 812 (2005-2006, breaking his own record of 753 in 2002-2003).
  • Most steals in one game: 9 (tied with Larry Bird; December 3, 1999 vs. Miami Heat).
  • Most free throws made without a miss, playoffs: 21 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round).
  • Most points scored in one half, playoffs: 32 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round vs. Indiana Pacers).
  • Highest scoring average through one month: 33.5 PPG (February 2006).
  • Only Celtics player in franchise history to lead the NBA in total points scored in a season, scoring 2,144 points in 2001-2002.
  • Playing with Celtics he accumulated 2,071 points in 2000-2001.
  • Career scoring average: 23.6 PPG, 2nd only to Larry Bird.

Notes

  1. ^ CNNSI.com - 2002 NBA Playoffs - Celtics pull off biggest comeback ever - Saturday May 25, 2002 09:53 PM
  2. ^ http://celtics.bostonherald.com/celtics/view.bg?articleid=148137
  3. ^ NBA.com James’ Triple-Double Upstages Pierce’s 50
  4. ^ [1]
  5. ^ A Thinner, Happier, More Defensive Paul Pierce - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog
  6. ^ ESPN.com - NBA - Two suspects arraigned
  7. ^ PRO BASKETBALL; Nightclub Incident Leaves Celtic Recovering From Stab Wounds - New York Times
  8. ^ Celtics Star Paul Pierce Fights Back On BEYOND THE GLORY | Celtics.com
  9. ^ Support the Truth Fund and Watch the C’s in Style, Celtics.com
  10. ^ 2002 USA Basketball

Template:United States Squad 2002 FIBA World Championship

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