PAUL PIERCE

PIERCE, PAUL

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA  (Inglewood HS)
Born October 13, 1977

Images: http://images.google.com/images?q=paul+pierce&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

Paul Pierce Fan Club Web Site: http://ppfc.freeservers.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lzA-Fdfpew&feature=related 

1996:  Lettered.

1997:  Lettered.

1998:  Lettered

PAUL ANTHONY PIERCE (Player 1996-98)

Paul certainly qualifies as a true KU Legend, given his success at Kansas and now that he has led the Boston Celtics to an NBA title.

Pierce was born October 13, 1977 in Oakland, California and starred in basketball at Inglewood High School in Los Angeles.

During Pierce’s three-year stint at KU, the Jayhawks won an astounding 90% of it’s games, 98 wins against only 11 losses, accumulated three Big 12 titles, and finished with a 6-3 NCAA tournament record. He averaged 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, earned MVP honors in the Big 12 Conference tournament in 1997 and 1998, and was named First Team All-American by the AP in 1998.

After his junior year, he entered the 1998 NBA draft and was selected 10^th overall by the Boston Celtics.  He quickly emerged as a top player in the Eastern Conference.

The 2008 season was magical for Pierce.  Before the season started, he expressed great excitement at the Celtics’ acquisitions of fellow All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, giving Boston a chance to contend for a championship. On May 18, 2008, Pierce recorded the second-highest point total in franchise history in a playoff game 7 with 41 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. In game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, Pierce was injured in the third quarter and was carried off the court in severe pain. However, he came back to the court a few minutes later to spark the Celtics with 15 points in the third quarter en route to a 98–88 victory. He was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after the Celtics' grabbed the championship by winning game 6.

Pierce is a 6-time NBA All-Star. He has been the model of consistency for the Celtics, averaging over 23 points per game in ten seasons, racking up over 17,000 career points. His scoring average as a Celtic ranks second only to Larry Bird – and even then, not a lot. He is the Celtics all-time three-point scorer, ranks third in free throws, and fifth in defensive rebounds.  He is a 6-time NBA All-Star

Pierce established the Truth Fund in May of 2002, as a means to connect with disadvantaged children in the Greater Boston area and his hometown of Inglewood, CA. The mission of The Truth Fund is to provide educational and life-enriching opportunities for underprivileged youth by offering resources and programs that foster safe and stable environments. He has also created the Paul Pierce Nike Skills Academy, an annual program for the top 20 high school players.  The athletes have an opportunity to receive personal instruction from Pierce along with top high school and NBA coaches.

Sources (Books and Articles):

• Bedore, Gary (June 1, 2008) Former teammates laud Pierce, KUSports.com 
• Golen, Jimmy (June 1, 2008) Pierce thrilled to be part of history, Associated Press
• Nance, Roscoe (January 12, 2006)  Greatness with Celtics judged by titles, USA TODAY

Sources (Internet Biographies):

• Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Hoopedia: http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

• Basketball-Reference.com: http://www.basketball-reference.com
• KUSports.com – In the Rafters: http://www.kusports.com/intherafters

Pierce Adds to Already Sterling Career, Matt Tait, KUSports.com2/15/2010

Paul Pierce, SI Photo/David Bergman