Getty Image / Chris Trotman
For some reason, Paul Pierce has decided after the end of his NBA career that he needs to compare himself to another NBA legend.
In the past, Pierce has tried to claim that he was actually better than Dwyane Wade.
While he has faced opposition on that take in the past, he doubled down recently.
During an appearance on “It Is What It Is”, Pierce said that he was under appreciated because he didn’t get to play with the same level of players that Wade did.
“My skills went unappreciated because I didn’t get to play with a lot of great players.” – @paulpierce34
D. Wade vs The Truth
via #ItIsWhatItIs pic.twitter.com/9DOfxFyzE0— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) July 22, 2023
“Put Shaq on my team, put LeBron and Bosh with me. I’m not going to win one?”
He added, “I don’t want this to be a knock against Wade, but my skills went under appreciated because I didn’t get to play with a lot of great players, and I got to play with KG and Ray [Allen] past their prime.”
Unfortunately for Paul Pierce, he just doesn’t really have anything that can back up his claim.
Wade was statistically better than Pierce, averaging more points and assists per game. Pierce had the edge in rebounds, but not by enough to make up for the other two.
Wade’s best season saw him lead the league in scoring at 30.2 points per game and he added 7.5 assists per game. Pierce’s best year saw him average 26.8 and 4.7.
Pierce makes the argument that he didn’t get to play with great players for long, but the bad teams he played with should have allowed him to have plenty of opportunities to pad his scoring numbers.
Wade was also the better defender of the two. He earned 3 2nd-Team All-Defense nods over the course of his career while Pierce didn’t earn any.
Without even talking about rings or All-NBA nods, Wade already has this locked up.
Paul Pierce was a great NBA player and has already earned a place in the Hall of Fame, but he should really stop trying to make the argument he was better than Dwyane Wade.