Tag: Paul Pierce

NBA legend says Lamar Jackson would be the face of the NFL if he left Baltimore

Paul Pierce says that there is only one thing holding Lamar Jackson back from being the face of the entire National Football League. 

Paul Pierce won an NBA title and the NBA Finals MVP award, and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. The 10x-time All-Star is forging a second career as a professional hot-take artist.

While appearing on Fox Sports 1’s “Speak,” Pierce said only one thing is holding Lamar Jackson back from being the face of the entire National Football League.

It’s that he plays in the city of Baltimore.

“I think for him to be the face of the league, he’s gotta get out of Baltimore,” Pierce said.

“Think about this: If Lamar was on Dallas right now, same accolades, he’d be the face of the league.”

It’s an interesting hypothesis, but few outside the Dallas fan base consider Dak Prescott, the Cowboys starting quarterback, to be the face of the NFL.

The same held for Tony Romo when he was the starting quarterback in Dallas. His celebrity power was boosted by dating Jessica Simpson (a relationship storyline precursor to the Travis Kelce-Taylor Swift coverage).

Pierce then said Jackson would be the face of the league if he were the starter for the San Francisco 49ers.

“That market there, like, people don’t know a lot about Baltimore,” Pierce said.

“People don’t talk about Baltimore.”

Co-host Joy Taylor then pointed out how the current face of the league, Patrick Mahomes, plays for a smaller-market club in Kansas City, Missouri.

Pierce responded that Mahomes is famous because the Chiefs have won Super Bowls.

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying,” Taylor said.

For what it’s worth, Baltimore placed 28th in the media market rankings used by the Nielsen Co., and Kansas City came in 33rd.

How the Boston Celtics built the new Big Three and changed the NBA for years to come

Drawing on his time playing with Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale, GM Danny Ainge brought together Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett.

At the start of summer in 2007, the Boston Celtics were a fun team that in no way reflected the greatness of the franchise’s storied past. But by the start of the 2007-08 NBA season, President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge had transformed the team into the juggernaut that would win the 2008 NBA championship.

Ainge had been a part of the team helmed by the last so-called big three in Celtics history, playing alongside Hall of Famers Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. By adding future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to a third, Paul Pierce, Boston was back in business, and three-star super teams were back on the scene.

To tell you the tale of how it happened, the folks over at The Score put together this short documentary embedded below.

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Paul Pierce revisits his, Jayson Tatum’s iconic Boston Celtics passing-of-the-torch moment

You know the moment, now hear the story.

Few players are more beloved to fans of the Boston Celtics than Hall of Fame small forward Paul Pierce. He once famously had a passing-of-the-torch moment with one of the most popular contemporary members of the Celtics, All-Star forward Jayson Tatum.

Tatum has a long way to go to match the career of a Celtics legend like The Truth or (in the video embedded below) his fellow Boston alumnus and Hall of Famer Cedric Maxwell. But the parallels and talent in the St. Louis native’s game are already evident, while continues to expand.

To hear Pierce talk about that iconic courtside exchange, check out said clip provided courtesy of CLNS Media’s “NBA History and Legends on CLNS” Instagram channel.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CWRF7gqp7PF/?utm_medium=copy_link

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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‘We called him Bambi,’ says Scot Pollard of fellow Boston Celtics alum Paul Pierce’s time at Kansas

Pierce was especially thin in his NCAA days, it seems.

Many years before they linked up again on the Boston Celtics in pursuit of Banner 17, ex-Boston big man Scot Pollard and Hall of Fame wing Paul Pierce were teammates on the roster of the Kansas Jayhawks.

And while we think of The Truth today as a stone-cold killer with broad shoulders and an unstoppable will to get to the basket, in those days Pierce could have benefited from more muscle on his frame, according to Pollard. “We called him ‘Bambi’ because he was still so skinny, and he was all elbows and knees,” said the 2008 Celtics champion center.

Check out the clip embedded below to hear what Pollard had to share about their time together playing for Kansas long before Pierce was ever a Celtic.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PEZvHTJBjw4

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce reflect on Bill Russell’s legacy: ‘He was what greatness was all about’

The duo of Boston icons had plenty to say about the greatest Celtics player of all time.

When it comes to greatness on the Boston Celtics, there are few who one might rank above Hall of Fame Celtics forwards Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. But that duo of Boston icons had plenty to say about the greatest Celtics player of all time and perhaps the greatest in the history of the league itself — legendary Boston big man Bill Russell.

Between his risky and historically important humanitarianism and the 11 titles with all the accompanying accolades that came with them, there will never be a greater winner than Russell, nor a better person to emulate beyond the court.

The Big Ticket and The Truth recently got together to sing the praises of the late, great Russell in a clip put together for the Showtime Basketball YouTube channel.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what the duo had to say.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics alumnus Eddie House tells his experience of the start and end of the infamous Banner 17 crew feud

The famed Boston sharpshooter had a unique perspective of how the KG-Ray Allen-Paul Pierce feud was born and died.

Former Boston Celtics microwave scorer Eddie House had a front-row seat to the birth and death of the feud between fellow champion Celtics alumni Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. He was present for the initial cracks in the foundation laid by the Banner 17 crew in 2008.

So the current NBC Sports analyst knows as much as anyone about that trio of Boston greats. Especially the details behind their longtime rancor and final resolution ahead of KG’s jersey retirement ceremony this past spring when all three were together again at TD Garden.

Speaking with Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, House told the tale from his perspective of the origin and end to one of the most infamous feuds in Celtics history.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear it for yourself.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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How champion Boston Celtics alumnus Kendrick Perkins made $1,500 doing pushups

Hall of Fame wing Paul Pierce was involved, for one thing.

2008 Boston Celtics champion center Kendrick Perkins has long been a storyteller. Now that he has transitioned into a media role with several regional and national outlets following the end of his career as an NBA player, the big man finds himself taking on that mantle more and more often.

In a recent video for ESPN, Perkins told the tale of how his Hall of Fame teammate Paul Pierce would often challenge rookies to difficult tasks for cash and other rewards. In this case, specifically the time he was asked to do some pushups in a cold New England winter.

To make it a little more engaging, the Disney-owned sports outlet animated the Banner 17 alumnus as well, so take a look at the clip embedded below to see it.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Every Boston Celtics player appearance on ‘Shaqtin’a Fool’ since 2011

Watch the clip to see the worst (or at least the funniest) of the Celtics over the last decade and a year.

While it might not be an honor to appear on former Boston Celtics big man Shaquille O’Neal‘s “Shaqtin a Fool” segment on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” a fair number of Boston players making a guest appearance over the years. The segment, for the uninitiated, is effectively the blooper reel of the dumbest, funniest or weirdest things Shaq and company caught on video that week.

Now, YouTuber and Celtics fan videographer Danielle Hobeika put together an all-time compilation of when Celtics players made the show. The list includes Rajon Rondo, Mikael Pietrus, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Kris Humphries, Vitor Faverani, Kelly Olynyk, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass, Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, Al Horford, Gerald Green, Jayson Tatum, Daniel Theis, Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis.

Watch the clip embedded below to see the worst of Boston over the last decade and a year — and try not to drink anything while you watch it.

Check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

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Paul Pierce defends Bronny James amidst criticism from unnamed teammate

A former Celtics star and rival of the Lakers pushed back on a recent report where an unnamed player blasted Bronny James’ treatment.

Days ago, an unnamed member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer league team commented on having Bronny James as a teammate. While he made it clear it was nothing personal against James, he blasted what he saw as the preferential treatment the rookie got and how it supposedly hurt the rest of the team.

Because James’ father is LeBron James, he is going to continue to get plenty of criticism from people who claim nepotism is the only reason he was drafted by the Lakers or is on any NBA roster to begin with.

A former NBA star went on Fox Sports 1’s “Undisputed” to push back on that negative report. Interestingly, that star was a former rival of the Lakers — Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Paul Pierce (h/t Sports Illustrated).

“Bronny got drafted, [Dalton] Knecht got drafted, the rest of y’all: fall in line,” Pierce stated. “They’re developing the draft picks. Y’all just here for…what they call the seat fillers when you go to the awards. … These are seat-fillers talking.”

“[The younger James] was drafted, of course they’re going to cater more to him, do more for him. … And next time you [say something], put your name on it. These are cats that are going to be training camp invitees, these are cats that’s going to be overseas somewhere, these are cats that’s going to be trying out for the G-League, and they’re over here talking anonymous.”

The 19-year-old struggled mightily with his shooting for much of summer league, but he finally found his outside shot in his last two games.

The Lakers used the No. 55 pick in last month’s draft to take him, and if he develops into a useful player, it would give them a serviceable two-way rotation player on an inexpensive rookie deal.

They signed the younger James to a four-year, $7.9 million contract a few weeks ago. That would be a big bargain if he develops into the type of player plenty think he can become, nepotism or no nepotism.

Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce talks on his relationship with LeBron James

The Truth had some surprising things to say about the Lakers star.

By now, it is no mystery that one of the primary foils of Hall of Fame Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce‘s career is perennial Greatest of All Time candidate LeBron James. But in a recent episode of the CLNS Media “Cedric Maxwell” podcast, the pair of Celtics legends discussed how Pierce’s point of view on his NBA nemesis is tinged with a sentiment that isn’t how the Inglewood native actually feels.

“I have nothing against LeBron James,” explained The Truth to Cornbread. “We have had our battles, yes. We’ve had some great battles, and I appreciate being there to face a guy of that caliber who people consider the greatest of all time or right there.”

Pierce opened up about his feelings towards James now that he’s been named to the NBA’s 75 greatest players list, released in honor of the league turning 75 years of age.

Check the video embedded above to hear all of the Celtics legend’s words about his rivalry with LeBron — you might be surprised by what you hear.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network. Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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