5 Days After Paul Pierce Clarifying $1,500,000 ESPN firing, Shaquille O’Neal trolls Celtics Legend by putting him in Lakers jersey

Nithin Joseph | 17/04/2023
5 Days After Paul Pierce Clarifying $1,500,000 ESPN firing, Shaquille O’Neal trolls Celtics Legend by putting him in Lakers jersey

Paul Pierce is one of the greatest Celtics players in NBA history. The Truth was drafted in 1998 by Gang Green with the 10th overall pick. And, over the course of his 19-year career has established himself as one of the best ever.

Of the 19 years he spent as a professional player, The Truth spent 15 of them in Boston. During his time there, Pierce’s most significant contribution was a championship win in 2008. One that was delivered after a hard-fought win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was an especially interesting series for the Hall of Famer, considering he grew up a Laker fan. In fact, it was his dream to one day play for the purple and gold. Well, luckily for him, former Laker legend Shaquille O’Neal has made that wish come true, trolling Pierce with a photoshopped picture of him in a Lakers jersey.

Shaquille O’Neal trolls Paul Pierce with a picture of the Celtics legend photoshopped in a Lakers jersey

Growing up in Oakland, California, Paul Pierce was a die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fan. He even dreamed of one day playing in the Staples Center. But, as fate would have it, the NBA Draft sent him all the way to the East Coast, where he would play for the Boston Celtics.

Given the obvious history, the chances of Pierce ever playing for the Lakers was close to zero. After all, the Lakers-Celtics rivalry is one of the biggest in sports history. Not to mention that by the end of his career, the California native had turned from a die-hard Laker to a die-hard Celtic.

Nevertheless, Pierce can now see his former dream come to life on Instagram. Shaquille O’Neal, the man who came up with the nickname, “The Truth” recently shared a photoshopped picture of Pierce in a Lakers jersey.

Perhaps Big Diesel is trying to troll his former teammate. But, even if he was it would be the last thing to enter Pierce’s mind. Especially considering he is probably still reeling from his $1.5 million ESPN firing.

The Truth recently clarified his $1,500,000 firing from ESPN

In 2021, Paul Pierce was fired from ESPN after an IG Live video of his went viral. The video in question saw The Truth partying with a couple of women. This did not sit well with ESPN who proceeded to let Pierce go, losing him $1.5 million in the process.

Two years later, the Hall of Famer still does not understand why he was fired, as he explained on the I AM ATHLETE podcast.

To be honest from an outsider’s view, it looked like Pierce was having a bit too much fun. But, these things happen in the business, and it looks like both he and the company have moved on from the incident.

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Los Angeles Lakers paul pierce Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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