Tag: Paul Pierce

The Management Team of Face Activities would like to take a moment to recognize a great moment in sports history.

On Sunday, the same day the Boston Celtics faced the Cleveland Cavaliers on the court, the team honored legendary small forward Paul Pierce, retiring his beloved number 34. This is the 22nd jersey number the Celtics have retired. That’s the most among all North American Sports franchises.

At six feet seven inches, Pierce, known to admiring fans as “The Truth,” was a player of consummate skill. The veteran of 10 All-Star teams, he enjoyed 19 years in the NBA—-15 of which he played for Boston, to the delight of legions of fans. He averaged 21.8 points and 6 rebounds per game for Boston.

Pierce honed his basketball technique at the University of Kansas, from where the Celtics drafted him in 1998. His career point count is the 18th highest in NBA history, totaling a staggering 26,397. Only one other Celtic, John Havilcek, scored higher, at 24,021. That’s a truly admirable record.

After the 2012-13 season, Pierce and Kevin Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets, in a complicated and controversial deal involving 5 draft picks and 9 players. Many Boston fans consider this a sad day in Celtics history, and have sorely missed “The Truth” ever since.

In addition to his iconic career in sports, Pierce had a strong presence off the court, working with children out in the community, encouraging them to develop academically as well as athletically.

 

Photo: By Keith Allison (flickr) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons