"I never hated Bron" - Paul Pierce puts LeBron James in GOAT conversation crediting him for raising NBA's bar

LeBron James and the GOAT discussion continue to dominate basketball media conversations. Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce chimed in before, saying that James was not even a top five player of all time. The two have some history as they battled in the Eastern Conference playoffs for years when Pierce was in Boston and James played for the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Pierce has been known to throw out some hot takes in his post-retirement days. He recently got in a back-and-forth with fellow podcaster and former NBA player Udonis Haslem.

In 2020, Pierce went after LeBron James by saying he was not a top five player of all time. Now, he is changing his stance.

Pierce had to answer for his comments when he went on Draymond Green’s podcast. Green, who is a close friend of James, challenged Pierce on his critique of James. Pierce said he has nothing but respect for James now.

“I wouldn't be who I am today without Bron, and I will say that," Pierce said. "For the simple fact that I had some epic games against him. I wouldn’t be who I am without him, so I am taking my hat off. Did I ever hate Bron? I never hated Bron, I always respected him. It’s just that me, in the heat of the battle, on the court, we have no friends.”

James averaged 29.3 ppg in games against Pierce.

Pierce got the best of James in the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics beat James in Game 7 despite his 45-point performance. The two traded more blows throughout the years, including when James went to the Miami Heat. He shut down Pierce and the Celtics in Boston during his legendary performance in the 2012 Eastern Conference finals.

Draymond Green calls out Paul Pierce for his LeBron James take

Draymond Green stood up for his friend LeBron James during the interview. He pressed Pierce on why he felt the need to diss James’ legacy. Pierce walked back his take some.

“I did say that, but it was based on, when they were playing the Portland Trail Blazers, and I think Portland won the first one," Pierce said. "And I was like, they got AD (Anthony Davis), they got this. I was like, if they lose in the playoffs' first round, I don’t want to hear about Bron being top five, because I felt like they had a championship team.

"So, do I think Bron is a top five player? Absolutely, man. After they won that chip, I said, Bron has cemented himself as the No. 2 player of all time now.”

Pierce’s original comments and critiques came when James was leading the Lakers to the NBA title in the 2020 bubble season. Pierce went on to give James some flowers for his more recent achievements and milestones.

“Little did I know he was going to get to 40,000, little did I know he was going to break all these other records," Pierce said. This was, like, four years ago. Bron is in that GOAT argument to where you can just say he might be the GOAT. Be it the longevity, the records he has had, Bron has a serious argument.”

It appears Pierce has done a 180 on his stance on LeBron James. It is hard to deny the outstanding achievements of the four-time champion and all-time leading scorer in NBA history.