If you asked me to scrounge together a list of Paul Pierce's utterly biased opinions, I wouldn't even know where to begin. For the sake of argument, I'll mention one that comes to mind instantaneously: the time Pierce was asked he was a better "pure shooter" than Klay Thompson, inherently not a question over who was the better overall player. I'll let you surmise what he answered without giving it away. A similar situation presented itself just the other day during an ESPN broadcast. A panel which included Paul Pierce was discussing Dwyane Wade's NBA legacy due to his impending retirement. Knowing full well it wouldn't take much to get Pierce riled up, the moderator asked him whether he'd enjoyed a better NBA career than Dwyane Wade, to which he answered, "That's easy, I could say that off the bat. That's me!" "If you give me Shaq if you give me LeBron...I'd be sitting on 5 or 6 championships easy," he continued before the panel stopped him in his tracks. As you might imagine, a couple of notable members of the NBA community chimed in soon after, including his comparable D-Wade. On the surface, the problem doesn't lie in the fact Pierce rates himself superior to D-Wade. In reality, the gap between the two players is close, so an argument could be made with some kind of rhetorical logic. Will Newton/Getty Images The problem is... Paul Pierce doesn't have to be so audacious, especially since he now works as a sports pundit, a job that requires a certain level of detachment and objectivity. But Pierce's cocky spirit is also what made him a championship player in the end. Dwyane Wade's response to Paul Pierce wasn't even all that damning, as he chose to highlight someone's else reactionary logic: that of NBA-peer Jared Dudley who questioned the former Celtics' forward over his sobriety. "Cocaine is helleva drug," Dudley wrote. "Both has great careers but Dwade is 3rd best SG of all-time." Wade then responded directly to Dudley's post by insisting, "You said it better than I could." With all that said, who do you rate at a higher clip: The Flash or The Truth?<doc-sep>Paul Pierce says he had better career than Dwyane Wade, sparks Internet debate originally appeared on nbcsportsboston.com Two years after retiring from the NBA, Paul Pierce still finds himself facing off against Dwyane Wade. The Celtics great was asked on ESPN who had the better career between him and Wade, and Pierce didn't hesitate to pick himself. "That's easy," Pierce said. "I could say that off the bat -- that's me. If you give me Shaq, if you give me LeBron, if you give me these guys early in my career ... when I was 24 years old, you give me Shaq, when I was 25, give me LeBron ... I'd be sitting on five or six championships, easy. I played 10 years with who? With who?" Paul Pierce says he had a better career than Dwyane Wade 👀 pic.twitter.com/8Q6AbYNxe1 — NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) April 6, 2019 Pierce's claim immediately sparked an Internet-wide debate. Some agreed with "The Truth," but many took Wade's side. Here were some of the notable reactions. . . Y'all can talk all y'all want but Lebron couldn't beat Paul Pierce until he built that super team in Miami and neither Dwade or Lebron could beat that 08 Lakers Team like Paul pierce and them BUMS did 😂🤷🏾‍♂️ — Marquis Flowers (@MFlowers59) April 6, 2019 His career wasn't better than DWade's but Paul Pierce is still the truth tho. Stop playin with his name like that. — Evan Turner (@thekidet) April 6, 2019 This @paulpierce34 thing is wrong on many obvious levels but what I find most troublesome is this idea of a man trying to diminish another man that looks like him, was raised like him, in order to shine a tad brighter. Shit isnt entertaining, it's sad. ❤ & 💡good people. — Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) April 6, 2019 If Dwyane Wade came back next season, played all 82 games and scored zero points in every one, he'd still have a higher career scoring average than Paul Pierce. — Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 6, 2019 Since you like numbers, here's a fun fact: Dwyane Wade has played 1,051 career games. If Paul Pierce had retired after his 1,051st career game, he would've had a higher career scoring average than Wade Where do we go from here? https://t.co/lxGJloLEKC — Jonathon Kamuf (@JonathonKamuf) April 6, 2019 True. Through their first 1,051 games, Paul Pierce scored 47 more points than Dwyane Wade. Paul Pierce also played 3,012 more minutes, had 1,653 fewer assists, shot 3.2 percent worse, had 236 fewer blocked shots ... Look, we could do this all day. It's silly. https://t.co/ZqRDZtLoTH — Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) April 6, 2019 Zaire (Dwyane Wade's son) roasting Paul Pierce on his IG story pic.twitter.com/4UhQw3fEf7 — NBA RETWEET (@RTNBA) April 6, 2019 Wade undoubtedly put up better numbers than Pierce over the course of his career. However, Pierce's point about not having the same kind of help that Wade had shouldn't be dismissed. It's hard not to wonder how things could have been if the "Big Three" entered the picture earlier in Pierce's career. Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.<doc-sep>Not everyone thinks Paul Pierce is crazy. Although Pierce’s claim last week about having a better NBA career than Dwyane Wade set social media ablaze, Max Kellerman stood in The Truth’s corner Monday on ESPN’s “First Take” by explaining why the Boston Celtics legend actually might have a solid argument. Kellerman wouldn’t go so far as to say Pierce was the better player, but he’s certainly much more willing to entertain the debate than his ESPN colleague, Stephen A. Smith, who declared without hesitation Monday that Wade unequivocally had the better NBA career. The debate itself is rather silly. Pierce and Wade were excellent in their primes, having a huge impact on the history of the Celtics and Miami Heat, respectively. Both are worthy of the Hall of Fame. Kellerman’s biggest issue thus lies in the amount of attention the argument is receiving, with Wade and his wife, Gabrielle Union, even firing back at Pierce’s claim on social media. Shouldn’t we just celebrate their accomplishments despite, Pierce taking a stand as Wade prepares to join him in retirement? Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>
Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce, who played for the Washington Wizards in 2014, are feuding over who had the better NBA career. Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce are feuding over who had a better NBA career originally appeared on nbcsportswashington.com Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade and Paul Pierce, who played for the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2015, are feuding over who had the better NBA career. When asked on ESPN on Friday whether he or Wade had the better NBA career, Pierce chose himself. The panel was discussing Wade's place in legacy, as he wraps up his final season in the league. "That's easy," the former Boston Celtics star said. "I could say that off the bat -- that's me. If you give me Shaq, if you give me LeBron, if you give me these guys early in my career ... when I was 24 years old, you give me Shaq, when I was 25, give me LeBron ... I'd be sitting on five or six championships, easy. I played 10 years with who? With who?" Wade clapped back a few times on Twitter. You said it better than i could. https://t.co/5LhKnHW9xX — DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 6, 2019 Once again you said it better than i could! https://t.co/Qk4v0nQ70O — DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 6, 2019 So did Wade's wife Gabrielle Union and his son Zaire Wade. This @paulpierce34 thing is wrong on many obvious levels but what I find most troublesome is this idea of a man trying to diminish another man that looks like him, was raised like him, in order to shine a tad brighter. Shit isnt entertaining, it's sad. ❤ & 💡good people. — Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) April 6, 2019 Zaire Wade shared his take on Paul Pierce's comments about his dad, D-Wade. pic.twitter.com/MwoHoFtpdq — ESPN (@espn) April 6, 2019 In 16 seasons, Wade, who is a shooting guard, won three rings, was a 13-time All-Star, was on eight All-NBA teams (two-time first-team selection) and was selected to three All-Defense teams. Paul Pierce in 19 seasons won one NBA title and was a 10-time All-Star. He also made four All-NBA teams, but never made the first team or the All-Defense team. Story continues After being chosen by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Pierce, who is a small forward, spent the first 15 years of his career with Boston. Pierce joined with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen in 2007 to form a "Big Three" that led Boston to two NBA Finals and an NBA championship in 2008, when Pierce won MVP. In July 2013, Pierce was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, and he signed with the Wizards as a free agent in 2014 before leaving after one season to play with the L.A. Clippers. He retired in July 2017. MORE WIZARDS NEWS: