Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce is an American former professional basketball player, born on October 13, 1977, who played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association, mostly with the Boston Celtics. He was a McDonald's All-American in high school and a consensus first-team All-American as a junior at the University of Kansas. Boston chose him with the tenth overall pick in the 1998 draft and he spent his first 15 seasons there. Shaquille O'Neal gave him the nickname the Truth in 2001. He was a ten-time All-Star and a four-time All-NBA selection. With Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen he formed a Big Three that took Boston to two NBA Finals and the 2008 championship, and he was named Finals Most Valuable Player that year. He was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, played a season for the Washington Wizards and two for the Los Angeles Clippers, and retired in 2017 after the Celtics signed him to a contract that let him retire with the team. He was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.