Paul Pierce takes his rivalries seriously. He just took a potshot on Kobe Bryant and he's also hating on LeBron, even on his kicks.
Pierce's comments on a radio show was tweeted by Kurt Helin of NBC:
"That will be tough on some guys in L.A. to take on that (reduced) role *cough* Kobe *cough* I mean, you know, we get older." -Paul Pierce
He seems to embrace his nickname of "The Truth" as he has also been very transparent with his hatred towards his rivals, namely LeBron James. It's not just about the games, it's also the kicks.
Marcin Gortat, Pierce's teammate with the Washington Wizards, confessed on the Wizards media day through the Washington Post about Pierce's locker room influences.
"Well, what I learned from him, you're not allowed to wear LeBron James's shoes to practice," center Marcin Gortat said. "I learned you have to be two hours before practice to lift. For warmups, you have to do at least jump rope. If Paul Pierce does 10 reps on the bench press, you got to do 11 because he's 40 years old [actually, 37] so you got to do at least one more. And I learned people look good in glasses, too. So, I learned a lot from him. Just the approach to the game. I wish I learned the trash talking in a game but I just don't have the bling-bling on my finger so I can't do it. He's special."
Of course, the locker room attitude is one thing that Doc Rivers wanted Pierce to bring to the Clippers. Intense hatred and rivalries can bring up some adrenalin and add color to players like Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. They are very skilled, gifted athletes but their competitiveness is often questioned.
One thing to watch out on Clippers' opening day: will anyone wear LeBron 13s?