Following the 2016-17 NBA season, Paul Pierce plans on retiring as a member of the Boston Celtics, according to Justin Termine of the Sirius XM NBA Radio. Back in September, Pierce wrote a short letter on The Players' Tribune, revealing that his upcoming 19th year in the league would be his last. "It's time to move on from the game of basketball. Just like any difficult decision, I think you've got to be at peace with yourself," Pierce wrote. "I'm at peace with retiring, but I've got one more ride left."
His decision to hang up his jersey for good with the Celtics shouldn't come as a surprise. Pierce called Boston his home for the first 15 years of his NBA career after the organization selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 1998 Draft. Even after the Celtics brought along Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett to play alongside him, Pierce was instrumental in helping bring Boston their first title in a little over two decades in 2008, receiving the NBA Finals MVP award that year.
Pierce says he owes it to himself and to the fans to retire as a Celtic. Over the last three years, Pierce has bounced around from the Brooklyn Nets to the Washington Wizards to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he now plays for his former Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. However, regardless of what team he played for, The Truth has always been seen as a Celtic for life. After this season, he's coming back home.
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