Clippers’ Paul Pierce Says He Plans To Retire As Celtic

Paul Pierce announced last month that he will retire at the end of this season, his 19th in the NBA.

Clippers’ Paul Pierce Says He Plans To Retire As Celtic

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Clippers small forward, who turns 39 on Thursday, provided additional details about his retirement during an appearance on SiriusXM, saying he wishes to end his career as a member of the team he played the longest for: the Boston Celtics.

“I would love to do that,” Pierce told SiriusXM NBA Radio (h/t to ESPNBoston.com’s Chris Forsberg). “I think I’ll always be remembered as a Celtic. I had all my glory days, all my prime was pretty much as a Boston Celtic. I think I owe the fans and I owe myself that much, just to be able to put that uniform on one more time and go out that way, say I retired a Boston Celtic.”

Pierce was drafted by the Celtics as the 10th overall pick out of Kansas in 1998, and played with them until 2013.

During his time in Boston, Pierce recorded 10 All-Star appearances and was named MVP of the 2008 NBA Finals, as he teamed up with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to help the Celtics win their first NBA title in 20 years. As a Celtic, the 6-foot-7 forward posted career averages of 21.8 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game.

The Celtics traded Pierce and Garnett to the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of 2013. That experiment lasted merely one season, however, and Pierce spent the 2014-2015 season with the Washington Wizards, with whom he displayed his ability to score big shots in the postseason.

Last summer, Pierce reunited with former Celtics coach Doc Rivers in Los Angeles, as Pierce returned to the city where he played high school basketball in order to join the Clippers. He averaged a career-low 6.1 ppg in 68 games for the Clippers last season.

Celtics fans will have one more chance to see Pierce play in the TD Garden this season, when the Clippers travel to Boston on Sunday, Feb. 5.

Pierce is known as “The Truth,” a nickname given to him by Shaquille O’Neal. 

WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 15: Paul Pierce #34 of the Washington Wizards looks for a shot against Paul Millsap #4 of the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at Verizon Center on May 15, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)