Paul Pierce was one of the biggest names in the NBA during his playing days. With more than 15 years playing for the Boston Celtics—and shorter stints with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers under his NBA belt. However, he’s also undoubtedly had some of the most career ups and downs out of any player both on and off the court. From winning the Celtics a championship in 2008 to truly some embarrassing moments to surviving multiple professional poker tournaments to getting fired from ESPN. Much of it has been his own doing; like having an in-game accident getting crediting himself for taking LeBron James “to that next level.” Lol.

The Celtics selected Paul Pierce during the 1998 NBA Draft, meaning he started his career with the team straight out of the gate. By 2001, he was recognized as Eastern Conference Co-Player of the Month twice—and helped the Celtics nab the biggest fourth-quarter turnaround in NBA playoffs history, earning them a win against the New Jersey Nets. He then started featuring in the All-Star Team every year between 2002 and 2006. In 2008, he and the rest of the “Big Three”—alongside fellow NBA All-Stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (as well as Rajon Rondo) — lead the Celtics to their 17th championship at the 2008 NBA Finals. 

Though he continued to set records during this time, his performance dipped as the 2013 NBA Draft drew closer, leading to the Celtics trading him to the Brooklyn Nets. Pierce spent a single season with the Nets before signing an $11 million contract with the Wizards, which he again opted out of to become a free agent. A month later, he signed with the Clippers—but with the team starting Lance Stephenson as small forward, Pierce headed into the 2015 season as a role player off the bench. Pierce, knowing his playing time would decline following his Celtics departure, announced the 2016-17 season to be his last. In April 2017, the Clippers waived him, and he signed a ceremonial contract so he could retire as part of the Celtics. 

Playing poker with the best

Despite how his career ended, the All-Star appears to be completely satisfied with his 19-year career—and for good reason. He’s one of only a few dozen players in the NBA to score more than 25,000 points, never leading the league but steadily building up his offensive contributions to over 26,397. Pierce also stands as a 10-time NBA All-Star, a three-time member of the All-NBA Third Team, and NBA Finals MVP for 2008 . 

Pierce is just one of the many NBA stars, including Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook, who like to play poker off the court. However, he’s one of the few who take it as seriously as he does basketball. He was first spotted at charity poker tournaments in 2006, which was part of a larger event he helped organize to raise money for his very own Truth Foundation. Pierce’s experiences here seem to have sparked his love for the sport, as he was next seen at the world’s most prestigious tournament: the World Series of Poker. In 2011, he advanced to the second day of its main event—long after even famed poker pro Chris Moneymaker left the game. 

Playing alongside the best seems to have motivated him further, with Moneymaker serving as his main source of inspiration. The former accountant, who won the 2003 World Series of Poker, is credited for sparking the poker boom—something he continues to keep alive today in his work with ACR Poker. America’s #1 poker site worked with the champ to create the Sunday Moneymaker promotion and the dedicated Moneymaker Tour, both of which aim to help others achieve similar poker success stories. By the tournament’s 2014 edition, Pierce told PokerListings that he wanted to be “poker’s next Chris Moneymaker,” and he played accordingly.

On Day 1, he joined Moneymaker himself at the table—and outlasted him to make it to Day 2, where he had the biggest rail of all the players present. He survived until Day 3, outperforming yet other poker pros like Daniel Negreanu and finishing on the same level as legend Phil Ivey—showing just how dedicated he is no matter which sport he plays. 

Today, he continues to participate in both professional and charity poker events. He most recently played at the 2018 World Series of Poker, making it to the second day of the tournament. In 2021, he also played alongside YouTuber MrBeast in a charity event hosted by Virtue Poker, a community-centered online platform that boasts Phil Ivey as one of its Team Pros. 

Truly Embarrassing Moments

Pierce’s off-court mishaps and on-court embarrassments have often grabbed nearly as much attention as his brilliant play. Here are five unforgettable moments when “The Truth” was perhaps a bit too honest—or in some cases, caught lacking—in the spotlight.

• The Wheelchair Incident (2008 NBA Finals): During Game 1 against the Lakers, Pierce left the court in a wheelchair, only to return shortly after and lead the Celtics to victory. This led to widespread speculation about the severity of his injury

• ​Bathroom Emergency: During the 2008 NBA Finals, Paul Pierce left Game 1 in a wheelchair, leading to widespread speculation about the nature of his injury. Years later, he admitted to feigning the injury to address a bathroom emergency​

• Joe Johnson’s Crossover (2012): While playing for the Celtics, Pierce was on the receiving end of a slick crossover by one of the best ioslation players in the NBA history Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets, causing Pierce to touch grass, stumble, fall, and desperately reach for the ball making several lowlight clips.

• Instagram Live Controversy (2021): Pierce streamed a live video featuring explicit content, leading to his termination from ESPN for violating their morals clause. ​A little more on that in a moment.

• Draymond Green’s On-Air Critique (2017): During Pierce’s farewell season, Draymond Green taunted him from the bench, suggesting he wasn’t deserving of a grand send-off like Kobe Bryant by yelling at Pierce “They don’t love you like that!”

• Paul Claimed He Had Better Career Than Dwyane Wade: Nuff Said​. Embarrassing. Out of touch.

Pierce’s Move From ESPN to FS1

As a decorated NBA star, Pierce’s experience has allowed him to work in the sport even after retirement. Most notably, he took on the role of studio analyst for ESPN in August 2017, just a few months after his last game with the Clippers. Landing the job after previously appearing as a guest analyst for the network during the 2016 Finals, he reprised his role on NBA Countdown and shared his views on the talk show The Jump. Following allegations of inadequate preparation and the lack of soundness of his game predictions, however, ESPN reduced his role as an analyst starting in 2019. 

However, the sports channel only truly cut ties with the Celtics legend a couple of years later. Pierce revealed in his series The Truth Lounge that, in live streaming one of his parties on Instagram, Pierce had broken the “morality clause” of his contract, resulting in its immediate termination. Though ESPN made no further comments on the firing, Pierce seemed to simply shrug it off—posting videos of himself laughing on social media after the news broke. 

That may be because he was sure he had more opportunities coming his way. In 2023, he joined the reality show Stars on Mars alongside the likes of NFL star Marshawn Lynch and famed cyclist Lance Armstrong. A year later, FS1, a channel under the Fox Sports Media Group, took Pierce on as one of the contributing basketball analysts for the talk show Undisputed, which was hosted by professional commentator Skip Bayless. After Bayless’ departure in August 2024, Pierce debuted on the new show Speak alongside media personality Joy Taylor and Super Bowl champ Keyshawn Johnson.