Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce Set to Retire After Season
By Jeremy Karll
The 2016-17 season will be the last for Paul Pierce
After much deliberation, Paul Pierce has decided to play one more season in the NBA. He announced via The Players’ Tribune that the 2016-17 season will be his last. Pierce is currently a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, however he spent most of his career with the Boston Celtics.
With Kevin Garnett recently announcing his retirement, it’s not much of a surprise that Pierce will do the same after this season. He’s soon to be 39-years-old and his best years on the basketball court are behind him. Still, it’s very disappointing to hear that another iconic member of the NBA for the past decade will soon be hanging it up.
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Pierce spent 15 years with the Celtics. He made 11 All-Star Teams and won the 2008 NBA Championship, also being named Finals MVP. The Celtics struggled mightily through the early portion of Pierce’s career, although he continued to fight for the team that drafted 10th overall in the 1998 NBA Draft.
There are many iconic players in Celtics history, although Pierce is right up there because of his determination and never give up attitude.
Doc Rivers, former head coach of the Boston Celtics and current coach of the Clippers, has already said that he will waive Pierce and let him retire after as a Celtic after the season. Therefore, after the Clippers season is over, they’ll waive him and Pierce will sign a one-day contract with Boston.
It’s a common thing seen from players who spent the majority of their careers with one team but left at the tail end of their careers. Pierce will always be a Celtic, so it’s a great gesture by Doc Rivers to recognize the impact he had on the franchise and in the community.
Pierce will forgo his final year on a three-year, $10.5 million contract. He was set to make $3.7 million during the 2017-18 season.
Pierce and the Clippers will enter this season with high hopes, though. When healthy, the Clippers are one of the best teams in the NBA. Pierce is coming off a season in which he appeared in 68 games, starting 38, and averaged 6.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.5 steals per game. This will be his second season with the Clippers.
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With new superstars entering the league and many older players retiring over the past couple of years, it truly does mark the end of an era for many basketball fans. Pierce will join a long list of players who recently retired, who also had a monumental impact on the game during their careers.