Paul Pierce will be playing one more NBA season before he joins other greats who decided to call it a career. Looking at this coming season, a perfect exit could be with the same team he spent most of his career – the Boston Celtics.
Paul Pierce, 38, will be playing his last NBA season for the Los Angeles Clippers. This will be his last run before he moves on from playing professional ball.
The coming season will likely see the future NBA Hall of Famer play scarce minutes under LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers. Regardless, Pierce’s only goal is to complete his last season to exit with a flourish.
“It’s time to move on from the game of basketball. Just like any difficult decision, I think you’ve got to be at peace with yourself. I’m at peace with retiring, but I’ve got one more ride left. One more season. One more opportunity,” wrote Pierce via the Players Tribune.
Pierce has done it all in his career with the 2008 NBA title win the sweetest of them all. When the Boston Celtics decided to overhaul their aging lineup, Pierce moved from one team the other.
Aside from the Celtics and Clippers, Pierce also played for the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards. Throughout his journey, Pierce has brought his game brilliance which will, unfortunately, come to an end.
Similar to what Kobe Bryant had last season, it is likely that he will be feted and honored by other teams throughout the season. But a curious question is where he will play his last game for the 2016-17 NBA season.
The simple answer would be to see him finish his career with the Clippers and under long-time mentor Doc Rivers. Earlier this month, Rivers hinted that Pierce will end his playing career with the Boston Celtics, CBS reported.
With that in mind, could this hint at a potential trade involving Pierce somewhere before February 2017? According to Rivers, it is important to get that done. In fact, he claims to have already talked to Danny Ainge and Mike Zarren about it though there was no mention how Pierce will retire as a Celtic.
All that aside, the fact remains that this is Paul Pierce’s last NBA ride. All that remains is what uniform he will be wearing once the final buzzer of his basketball career goes off.
Check out the video below showing Paul Pierce reflecting on his career and his decision to retire after the 2016-17 NBA season.