Paul Pierce

Pierce spent the first fifteen years of his career with the Boston Celtics, who drafted him with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft. He starred as captain of the Celtics, earning ten All-Star nods and becoming a four-time All-NBA team member. After nine seasons of leading the Celtics as their sole star player, Pierce combined with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007 to form a "Big Three" that together led Boston to the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010, winning the 2008 NBA Championship. Pierce was instrumental to the Celtics\' 2008 championship run, as he was awarded the Finals MVP after averaging 22 points per game. Pierce is one of only three players, alongside Larry Bird and John Havlicek, to score over 20,000 points in their career with the Celtics alone. He holds the Celtics\' record for most three-point field goals made and also ranks third in team history in games played, second in points scored, seventh in total rebounds, fifth in total assists, and first in total steals. He has also made the sixth most three-point field goals in NBA history. His nickname, "The Truth", was given to him by Shaquille O\'Neal in March 2001.\n', ' In July 2013, Pierce was included in a deal that sent him to the Brooklyn Nets, along with teammates Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry. He signed with the Washington Wizards the following offseason, but after just one season with the Wizards, he moved back home to Los Angeles and reunited with his former Celtics coach Doc Rivers at the Clippers. He spent two seasons with the Clippers before retiring following the 2016–17 season. On July 17, 2017, the Celtics signed Pierce to a contract, enabling him to retire as a member of the organization with which he spent his first 15 NBA seasons.\n', ' Pierce was born and raised in Oakland, California. His family later moved to Inglewood, California, where he attended Inglewood High School. He was cut from Inglewood High\'s varsity basketball team his freshman and sophomore years, and seriously thought about transferring before spending extra time in the gym and becoming the star of the team by the end of his junior year. Pierce went on to participate in the 1995 McDonald\'s All-American Game alongside future NBA stars Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, and Antawn Jamison, and was a contestant in the game\'s Slam Dunk Contest, which was won by Carter. He grew up a Los Angeles Lakers fan and dreamed of playing for the team.\n', '