Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce joined ESPN as a studio analyst on ‘NBA Countdown’ in 2017 but got fired in 2021 after appearing on Instagram Live while playing poker and smoking marijuana with strippers in the background.
Paul’s broadcasting career wasn’t as illustrious as his professional career, as he won the championship title and final MVP award in 2008 for the Celtics. After retiring from professional basketball, he joined the Disney-owned network in just a couple of months.
However, after two years of the incident, he finally opened up regarding his departure from ESPN in an interview recently.
What did Paul Pierce say?
The 45-year-old appeared on the latest episode of the ‘I Am Athlete’ podcast and talked about the incident that got him fired from ESPN. It appears the former star couldn’t quite understand his actions.
“I got fired for what? I got fired for having some entertainment. I’m playing cards. It’s my boy’s birthday. It’s girls dancing. We’re blowing some tree. What did I do wrong?” The 10-time all-star asked.
Paul Pierce recounts being fired from ESPN on his day off:
“I got fired for having some entertainment. What did I do wrong?” 🤷🏾♂️
Subscribe & watch a dope convo w/ The Truth, @PaulPierce34 📺 → https://t.co/tNyj1hoL2N pic.twitter.com/DD9O0YHRB9
— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) April 10, 2023
“I don’t ever go live either, I was just feeling my haircut or something, and then it was popping behind me,” the small forward added. “At the end of the day, it’s Disney, and they have a morals clause, and they just said it was immoral.”
Paul Pierce out of his damn mind on IG Live pic.twitter.com/AhGXnM6l2m
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) April 3, 2021
Pierce was also seen drinking alcohol while those exotic dancers were rubbing his shoulders, but it didn’t seem like anything serious to him. During the legal procedure with ESPN, he was seen smiling and claiming the incident was self-explanatory.
However, stars like him should know better than to show off in a subconscious state while smoking weed. Recently, Memphis Grizzlies forward Ja Morant has faced serious consequences after going live on Instagram with a firearm in a strip joint.
After the departure, Paul Pierce started his own podcast, “Ticket and the Truth,” with his former teammate and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett.
