Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce has never been shy about reflecting on his roots and in a recent appearance on Club Shay Shay with Shannon Sharpe, he opened up about his early life growing up in Inglewood and how limited the idea of success felt for young Black kids in his neighborhood.
When Sharpe asked what a young Pierce wanted to be while growing up, The Truth gave an honest, emotional answer that went beyond basketball dreams.
“I think as a young Black kid growing up and I’mma tell you this, Shannon, I was born in East Oakland, and then I moved to L.A. when I was like 9 years old. So, like, everybody’s dream as a kid was just to be in sports or rap. That’s just what it was in the Black community.”
“We didn’t feel like we could be doctors or the Huxtables, even though we watched that. We just felt like that was the only way out the ghetto. My dream was always to be in the NBA or professional sports, because all our heroes were that. Unless you rapped, you know, that’s what success looked like.”
“I was looking at other Black kids and successful people: rap, sports, that’s what we saw. So my dream was always to be in the NBA, man. It was all or nothing.”
“And I was a pretty smart kid, you know? I went to my classes. I’m not saying if I didn’t make it in hoop that I wouldn’t have been nothing, but I would’ve found a way to do something whether it be in sports or just to succeed in life, because I’m a hustler. I’m a grinder. I’m going to find a way.”
Pierce’s comments reflect a reality that many young athletes from inner-city neighborhoods share, the idea that opportunities outside of sports or entertainment often feel invisible. Growing up in Inglewood during the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pierce was surrounded by the struggles of poverty, crime, and systemic inequality.
Before basketball fully took over his life, Pierce also harbored ambitions of becoming a rapper. Growing up in Los Angeles during the golden era of West Coast hip-hop, he was surrounded by the sounds of Tupac, Ice Cube, and N.W.A, artists who gave voice to the very environment he came from.
Paul Pierce eventually chose the ball. From Inglewood High to the University of Kansas, and finally to a Hall of Fame career with the Boston Celtics, his story became one of perseverance and focus, a living example that even limited dreams can lead to greatness when paired with determination.
Now retired, Pierce looks back with appreciation for where he came from but he also hopes the next generation of kids growing up in neighborhoods like his can see more options for themselves.
For Paul Pierce, the dream started with basketball and rap but his truth ended up inspiring something much larger.
