Franchise icon Hall of Famer Paul Pierce was with the Boston Celtics for 15 years, picking up All-Star appearances in 10 of those seasons. He averaged fewer than 18 points per game once during his tenure in Boston: his rookie season. The Truth was, for all intents and purposes, a stud. He almost did not come to Boston as Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix wrote in his story on the Celtics’ legend.
Before Pierce was drafted No. 10 overall in 1998, then-head coach Rick Pitino had been targeting Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki with the pick, he told Mannix. He went as far as telling Nowitzki to skip the draft combine and called up Red Auerbach, longtime Celtics head coach, to help seal the deal.
Buy Celtics Tickets“I went home,” said Pitino, “thinking we had our guy.”
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 6, 2023
Instead, the Milwaukee Bucks picked Nowitzki at No. 9 before trading him to Dallas, sending Pitino spinning. Pierce had been projected to go in the first few picks, but had slid down the draft board and was available at 10.
“We were scurrying,” related the former Celtics team president. “I hadn’t done my homework on Paul at all.”
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 6, 2023
Pitino asked if the Kansas standout wanted to be traded elsewhere, but Pierce told him not to trade him, using the slight as motivation instead. “It pushed me into another gear,” said the soon-to-be Hall of Famer. “I played meaner. It motivated me every day. Every (expletive) day.”
Pierce finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the All-Rookie first team in 1998-99.
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— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) October 6, 2023
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