“I’ll Never Forget That”: Paul Pierce Reveals Why His Mom Banned Uncle From Ever Attending His Games

The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers share one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, and their feud sometimes spills off the court, too. Friendships are tested, and even families get involved, which is when things get messy. Just ask Paul Pierce.

Pierce recently stated that his mom banned his uncle from attending Celtics games. Why? Because he showed allegiance to a team that The Truth did not play for.

It turns out Pierce, although a Celtics legend and champion today, grew up on the dark side (that’s what Boston fans would say). He used to support the Lakers, something he revealed to NFL icon Keyshawn Johnson on the All Facts No Breaks podcast.

“You grow up here in LA, you don’t do nothing but Lakers,” he said. “I grew up right down the street from The Forum, and Magic (Johnson) is my idol. That’s like a no-brainer. I don’t live in LA Key. I live in Inglewood, where the Lakers play.”

Pierce growing up bleeding Purple and Gold didn’t pan out too well once he joined the league. He joked that some of his relationships changed after he got to Beantown. “I found out who my friends were when I got to Boston,” said Pierce, who laughed about how hard it was to even invite people to his games, knowing they’d show up repping his new rival’s colors. “You gotta keep it neutral, or green and white. That’s it.”

This led The Truth to tell a story about his mom, who once banned Pierce’s uncle from ever attending another Celtics game because he showed up dressed like a Laker. “My momma got tickets for my uncle. My uncle came in a Lakers jersey. She said, ‘You ain’t never coming to another game again.’ I’ll never forget that. Moms wasn’t playing,” he said with a smile.

It’s hilarious to hear just how petty everyone in this story was. On one hand, if you’re going to support your nephew, at least wear the jersey of the team he plays for. On the other hand, Unc has every right to root for whoever he wants. Sure, the Lakers and Celtics are eternal rivals, but why should a lifelong Lakers fan suddenly switch sides?

In the end, Pierce stayed loyal to Boston, despite growing up a fan of LA. Somehow, he ended up being the most mature person in the room.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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