The NBA announced this past weekend that Paul Pierce has made the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Congratulations Paul Pierce, 10-time @NBA All-Star, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP and #21HoopClass honoree. pic.twitter.com/KSmX8xIDgq
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) May 16, 2021
“The Truth” is extremely deserving of this honor after his illustrious career.
His 19-year career had ups and downs, but he still proved his superstar status.
Pierce was able to achieve not only individual success, but also team success.
There are tons of reasons why Paul Pierce was an easy choice for the HoF, but I am giving you the best three.
Numbers/Accolades
Paul Pierce accomplished so much over the course of 19 seasons.
He was able to make 10 All-Star Game appearances.
He finished as an All-NBA guy four times in his career, with his best year being the 2008-2009 season when he was second team.
The biggest attribute we remember was his scoring ability.
Congrats @paulpierce34!
34 reminders of how nice he was #21HoopClass
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 16, 2021
Pierce finished in the top ten in scoring for five seasons, while averaging 20-plus points per game eight times.
Furthermore, within the history of the NBA, Pierce is top 20 on the all time scoring list.
The man was a certified bucket for the majority of his career.
His scoring is top notch and something we will never forget from “The Truth.”
Celtics Legend
If you look up in the rafters of the TD Garden, you see a plethora of jerseys that are retired.
The Celtics have had generations of legendary players that will go down as some of the greats.
There is Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, who both dominated the 50s and 60s together, and individually.
Then there was Larry Bird, who reigned in the 80s with the Celtics winning three titles along the way.
Fast forward to 1998, where the Boston Celtics found their next legend.
Paul might not have accomplished what the other Celtics legends had done throughout their careers, but he is still in that collection.
The Celtics were floundering at one point searching for their next guy; the next great to lead them to the promised land.
There were the bad years in his early days, and even some in the middle, but he always stuck with the franchise through it all.
This is why when he left, Boston was hurt, and so was Pierce.
He is a staple in the Boston sports lexicon.
2008 NBA Finals
The legacy for Paul Pierce was cemented in 2008.
Boston just acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to form the Big 3.
The expectations were championship or bust for the first time in Pierce’s career.
Well, he delivered and won the title that season.
Pierce was able to match Kobe in the 2008 Finals, which is crazy to think about.
In Game 1 of the Finals, he had the infamous wheelchair game that put an extra spotlight on him.
His averages for that series was 22 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6 assists.
The man was doing it all on his way to winning his first championship and the Finals MVP.
2008 was the year for Paul Pierce to prove he belonged with the elites once and for all.
He showed that he was a Hall of Famer back then and it has been solidified with this honor.
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