Paul Pierce reveals receiving death threats during his NBA days: “That’s what I was dealing with"

Paul Pierce was one of the NBA's most lethal scorers in his prime. He's long been retired and is now sharing what he went through during his 19-year career.

Pierce recently gave his thoughts on the incidents that caused Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant to get in trouble. The 10-time All-Star said that he carried a handgun after he was stabbed 11 times in 2000.

"I don’t care what y’all say about Ja," Pierce tweeted. "I carried a gun after I was stabbed y’all don’t know what he going thru everyone got something to say until u really know what’s really going on in someone life when u black and rich u a target period."

In a recent interview, the Hall of Fame player also said that he received death threats during his career.

"My license was to carry on me, but I wasn’t flashing it and doing all that," Pierce said. "I went and applied and got my license. You know, me and Lynchie (former Celtics director of security Phil Lynch) used to go to the gun range.

"I was getting death threats before the case came up. One time I was sitting in a restaurant, and they came up and gave me the cordless phone from the restaurant. He was like, ‘Somebody’s calling for you.’ I was like, ‘What?’ It was a threat. That’s what I was dealing with."

Pierce directed his focus on basketball after the stabbing incident. He also said that he had 24-hour protection from the police for a year after what happened to him. The Truth said in an interview that he bottled it in for a long time before he was able to move past it.

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Taking a look at Paul Pierce's stats in the 2000-01 NBA season

Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks: Game 5

Despite going through a tough time in the 2000 offseason, Paul Pierce made himself available for the Boston Celtics to play in all 82 games of the season. It was Pierce's third season in the league, and he had already made a name for himself as one of the top talents in the association.

The 2000-01 season was his breakout year and also the first season where he averaged more than 20 points. The four-time All-NBA selection averaged 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He also knocked down 45.4% of his shots, including 38.3% of his three-pointers.

Pierce led the Celtics to a 36-46 record, which earned them the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference. From that season, he used that momentum and continued to be a great talent in the league throughout the rest of his career.

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