As Celtics legend Paul Pierce prepares to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield on Saturday, The Truth is dropping some truth about his time at ESPN and the infamous Instagram Live video that led to his firing.
In the video, posted late on a Friday night in April, Pierce was seen drinking and smoking at a poker party while surrounded by strippers. The video went viral and by the time the weekend was over, Pierce was no longer an NBA analyst for ESPN.
In a new interview with Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, Pierce acknowledged that he didn't realize the video could be recorded by others and live on long after he deleted the original. That said, he's not sorry about it and says he was "done" with ESPN anyways.
"I was done with them, anyway," Pierce told SI. "It wasn’t a great fit. There’s a lot of stuff over there that you can’t say. And you have to talk about LeBron all the time."
Pierce says ESPN never asked him to apologize, but that his agent did suggest an apology might be a good idea since the video could have potentially influenced Hall of Fame voters. Pierce never apologized and still made the Hall of Fame anyways.
"Come on, I didn’t do anything illegal," Pierce said. "These motherf-----s in the Hall of Fame, some did [cocaine], f---ing battery. What the f--- did I do? I was just having a good time. All the people coming after me, half you motherf-----s do the same s---. You’re just hiding it. And you all are married while you’re doing it. I’m divorced. I’m retired. I’m having fun."
Pierce spent 15 seasons in Boston from 1998-2013 and ranks second in franchise history in points and third in games played. A 10-time All-Star, he helped lead the Celtics to their first title since 1986 in 2008, being named Finals MVP in the process.
To read the entire SI feature, which includes Pierce reflecting on key moments in his career and looking ahead to a possible reunion of the 2007-08 championship team, click here.