Paul Pierce spent 40,360 minutes on the court donning a Boston Celtics jersey during his career, leading the team to an NBA championship in 2008 and several other successful runs in other campaigns.
After 15 years of playing for Boston, the franchise will show their respects by retiring his iconic No. 34 jersey on February 11 against the Cleveland Cavaliers:
3??4?? #ForeverACeltic pic.twitter.com/F13jHTL7Ut
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 18, 2017
The Celtics released the following video of Pierce on Friday:
On February 11, we'll say it once more. #ThankYouPaul pic.twitter.com/TdsSRxiijP
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) August 18, 2017
Pierce became a beloved figure in the city of Boston during his time as player. He’ll questionably go down as one of the franchise’s all-time great players and join the likes of Bill Russell, Larry Bird and John Havlicek as players who have already had their jerseys retired by the club.
“The moment I was drafted by the Celtics, I knew I was joining one of the most historic organizations in the NBA,” Pierce said. “For 15 years, I played at the Garden, looking up at the jerseys of some of the most iconic players in the game – Russell, Bird, and Cousy. To now be recognized alongside those names is such an honor. I have always said I would be a Celtic for life, and now it is really coming true.”
Pierce ranks No. 1 in Celtics franchise history in three-point field goals (1,823), free throws (6,434) and steals (1,583). He ranks second in points with 24,021 and played games with 1,102.
Pierce’s jersey will be retired on the night the team plays LeBron James. The two had several memorable battles throughout Pierce’s time on the Celtics, including playoff games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
