MIAMI — Enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, former Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce continues to lobby for his place in the Miami Heat Clickbait Hall of Fame.
A week ago, on a Showtime Basketball podcast, Pierce chimed in on the Heat’s ongoing bid to acquire Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and add him to the core of Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
“You put them together, they won’t make it out of the first round,” Pierce said, with the Heat coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals. “If you get Dame, they done.”
Pierce, 45, then followed up by parking his voice on the “It Is What It Is” podcast and came out firing about his career success compared to that of former Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who will be enshrined next month in Springfield.
Pierce’s point of attack this time was the talent Wade had alongside in his run to three NBA championships with the Heat, compared to the sole title secured by Pierce, noting Wade teammates such as Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
“Put Shaq on my team. Put LeBron and Bosh with me. I’m not going to win one, you don’t think?” Pierce said. “Me, LeBron and Bosh, we’re not going to win one? We’re not going to win a couple?”
All the while with Pierce pointing to what he considers a superior career resume to that of Wade.
“So all I’m saying is who’s the better 3-point shooter?” Pierce said. “Is he a better scorer? OK, he averaged more points than me, career. I can shoot the three. I can post up. I can get to the line. Who’s a better scorer?”
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Pierce’s contention was that Wade was flashier, and therefore held in higher regard, with Pierce also noting he played with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen with those two close to the ends of their careers.
“I don’t want this to be a knock vs. Wade,” Pierce said. “But I’m just saying I think all-time my skills went unappreciated because I didn’t get to play with a lot of great players. And then I got to play with K.G. and Ray past their prime.
“OK. If four years earlier, you put me Ray and K.G. together, you think we ain’t walking away with three chips?”
Pierce’s lone NBA championship came with the Celtics in 2008, two years after Wade won the first of his three with the Heat. Garnett that year was 31, an All-Star and NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Allen would go on to win a championship with Wade and the Heat in 2013, five years later. O’Neal was 34 when he won the 2006 championship with the Heat.
As for accolades, Wade was a 13-time All-Star, Pierce a 10-time All-Star. Wade was named to an All-NBA team eight times (first team twice); Pierce was named four times (never first team). Wade was named to an All-Defensive team three times; Pierce never.
Pierce then took to Twitter on Monday and tried to walk back some of his comments amid fallout to the podcast, while also offering comparisons to other players with limited playoff or championship success, including Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson, who coincidentally was selected by Wade to be his presenter at the Hall of Fame.
“I never compared myself to Dwayne Wade,” Pierce posted. “I was ask a question how would u answer if u was me I would never disrespect him he is an all time great all I’m saying is the narrative surrounding me would be different if I was lucky enough to play with all timers earlier in my career same can be said about Tracy mcgrady Vince Carter melo Allen iverson the narrative would definitely be different is his resume better ofcourse but this not about me comparing myself to him it’s just Goat players out there where the narrative would be different if given same type of teammates.”
But wait, then there was more on Twitter.
“And I would have won it with way older Shaq, if he didn’t get hurt,” he said, with O’Neal having joined the Celtics in 2010-11. “Did u see our record when he was healthy didn’t need much from him just his presence alone was an attribute.”
