- Paul Pierce was stabbed 11 times in a nightclub in September 2000
- Pierce required lung surgery to repair the damage
- Pierce revealed he carried a gun with him for two years after the incident
Paul Pierce’s life flashed before his eyes after he was stabbed 11 times while at Buzz Club, a nightclub in Boston, on September 25, 2000. Pierce, fortunately, was rushed to a hospital, which saved his life, and following the incident, he decided he had to carry a gun around with him for his safety.
“I actually carried a gun for two years right after that,” Pierce said. “I was so paranoid. Like, I kept it in the car, I had it on me, I was so paranoid after that. I was just like, I couldn’t be in crowds. Something like that happens to you, man, it’s traumatic.”
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It is understandable Pierce felt he had to take some measures after this. It also made him realize that perhaps he needs to change his ways as well, and not put himself in potentially dangerous situations.
You’d have thought that after such an incident, Pierce would have had a difficult time staying on the court, but that wasn’t the case.
He played all 82 games in the 2000-01 season for the Boston Celtics and averaged 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
Pierce did not miss more than three games in any of his next six seasons after this incident, which is quite remarkable.
Paul Pierce Went On To Have A Great Career After This Incident
Pierce had just played two seasons in the NBA when this stabbing occurred. It wouldn’t have been too surprising if his promising career had been derailed after it, but Pierce went from strength to strength.
In 2002, he became an All-Star for the first time, and he’d finish his career as a 10-time All-Star.
Pierce would get his hands on an NBA championship in 2008, and he won Finals MVP as well, as the Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Nowadays, the 45-year-old tends to get mocked for some of his analysis, but there is no denying he was a phenomenal basketball player and deserves respect for coming back strong from such a terrible incident.
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