Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce leaves LeBron James out of his All-Time Top 5

One of the great contemporary legends of the Boston Celtics had a recent controversial take about his list of the top five all-time greatest players.

Long-time Boston Celtics great Paul Pierce had quite the opinion when asked who he considered to be the greatest players in the history of the NBA. On ESPN’s “NBA Countdown”, Pierce offered an on-brand hot-take:

"“Bill Russell built up the organization in Boston. He should get way more credit than we give him, and a lot of times he gets left out of the conversation,” Pierce said. “So in saying that, Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), Magic (Johnson), (Michael) Jordan, Tim Duncan, Kobe (Bryant), (Larry) Bird. These guys are all-time top 10 players who either helped build up their organization or continued the tradition.”"

Noticeably, LeBron James‘ name was notably absent. After years of battling his contemporary–both on the winning side and the losing end–Pierce stated his belief that James’ career path ultimately detracts from his greatness, citing building his own teams in Miami and Cleveland before joining an already established legacy in Los Angeles with the Lakers.

Who does Pierce think is ahead of him exactly? Among them are Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell. Not among them is the man they call the “king”:

"“You wanna hear my top five? You want to hear it again?” Pierce continued. “Jordan, Kareem, Russell. And you know who the fourth one is? Magic. Now you know who’s in my top five? Kobe Bryant.“That’s my top five. Argue with it.”"

Plenty have taken it to Pierce for his comments, but clearly he values championship victories with the inclusion of Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson over James. His opinion holds weight as a former NBA Champion, but there could also be a hint of bias in his analysis.

It’s possible Pierce will always view James as the kid who the “Big 3” era Celtics were able to knock out during the 2000’s. The tide changed during the 2010’s, though, and the LeBron-led Heat handed Boston defeat in consecutive seasons in 2011 and 2012.

All things considered, there’s plenty of reasons why Pierce could have said that about James. Among them could be boosting ratings for “NBA Countdown”, jealousy, or just keeping up the rivalry even after Pierce’s career has concluded.