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Paul Pierce Throws Shade At The Nine NBA Teams That Passed On Him In 1998 NBA Draft

(Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

When it comes to sports, they say the greats all have some type of screw loose to take their games to a level we mere mortals only dream of having. Basketball of Famer Paul Pierce was on the Clubhouse app on Thursday evening along with Tom Arnold a few others chatting about several different topics, including his competitive edge, and is that the reason he is about to be elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame?

“Man, absolutely, there are so many things that people have to understand. You always have to find things as a competitor that is going to drive you. So for me, I was projected as a top-two pick max top three-top-five. So when I got drafted number ten, that pissed me off, and it was widely known when I got drafted, and when I went to the stage, I let it be known at that point. I was like, all these players ahead of me, they are in for it, and all these coaches are going to regret not picking me,” said Pierce on Clubhouse on Thursday evening.

“This is what I don’t understand. You got a First-Team All-American in college; almost a player of the year projected a top-five pick and then slipped. That makes me wonder even to this day how I slipped in the draft, but you know things happen for a reason, and it worked out. I’m so happy I went to Boston because I appreciate winning out there. Suppose I went to Vancouver, Toronto, or the Clippers. It is just not the same as winning in Boston; everybody knows this. When you win in Boston, there’s nothing like it, and the franchises that did pick me had no tradition and history nothing. So, I am happy it works that way, and God works in mysterious ways. I think that is why I am here talking to you guys from the Hall of Fame.”

Pierce is part of the 2021 Hall of Fame Class with Ben Wallace, Chris Bosh, Toni Kukoč, Lauren Jackson, and Yolanda Griffith.

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Written by Landon Buford

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