Paul Pierce is one of the greatest players in Boston Celtics history. One of the things that made him so great was his passion and drive to always compete at the highest level. He bled green and would never let another player try and intimidate him.
However, that same attitude has earned him a bad reputation among NBA fans. His post-playing career has seen him share some hot takes, like LeBron James not being a top-5 NBA player of all -time, that have made him just look petty.
That’s why he’s finally turned the page on his rivalry with LeBron and recently acknowledged that, if the King were to win his 4th NBA Championship with another franchise, he’d have no choice but to include him in his all-time top 5 players list:
“If LeBron James wins his fourth title with three different franchises I would put LeBron James back on my all-time top 5 NBA players. He’d be one of the few who have won the Championship while being the guy. He’d be the MVP if they win – for three different franchises. He’d be back in my top-5, easy call,” Pierce said on ESPN.
It’s not a secret that Pierce and LeBron hated each other’s guts throughout their playing career. Those Celtics-Cavaliers and Celtics-Heat playoffs series were one for the ages, with both forwards going toe-to-toe until the final buzzer.
Now, James is in the midst of his 17th year in the league averaging 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, a league-leading 10.6 assists, 2.2 three-pointers, and 1.2 steals per game on 49/39/69 shooting and 34.9 minutes a night.
He’s a legit candidate for the MVP award after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the best record in the Western Conference and now that he’s fully rested, the purple and gold are perhaps the team to beat en route to the NBA Finals. That’s a tough pill to swallow, Pierce.
