Remember when Paul Pierce went on national television claiming he was better than Dwyane Wade? Well, it did spark quite a lot of controversy and debate among current, former NBA players, and the fans. The Boston Celtics legend was roasted by many and faced a lot of heat on social media platforms. But what does Antoine Walker, a player who shared the court with both, think of the whole equation?
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Former NBA player Antoine Walker recently joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the All The Smoke podcast. Reminiscing his old playing days, Walker was asked to give his two cents on the Pierce-Wade debate.
“I get disappointed when I hear the respect is not there for Paul (Pierce). And I hate that. But basketball, playing competitive, got game, ain’t any tougher than Paul bro. You can go categories to category with those guys, it’s probably neck and neck. D-Wade is more athletic than him but Paul is a better scorer to me than him.”
Walker then went on to explain the other aspects by taking defense into account. He said,
“I think, defensively, D-Wade was a guy that got into the passing lanes and those types of things. So, people judge you off that…Sitting down, locking down somebody, I mean, P gonna sit down.”
Paul Pierce’s remarks about being better than Dwyane Wade while on ESPN, generated a lot of buzz. And eventually, the narrative turned on Pierce with many claiming he was jealous or intimated by Wade’s success.
But coming to what Antoine Walker said, the amount of recognition and respect lacking behind Paul Pierce’s name is truly fathoming. Dwyane Wade did get more recognition during the early 2010s when LeBron James joined the Heat and went on to win back-to-back titles. However, fans tend to forget how good Paul Pierce was during his prime.
Pierce led the Celtics in scoring for nearly a decade and led the team to four straight playoff appearances from 2001 to 2005, almost single-handedly. Walker did credit Dwyane Wade for being more athletic and getting recognition for his efforts on the defensive end but Pierce was no slouch standing between the player on offense and the basket. Both players were gifted scorers but Antoine gave Pierce props there. Granted that Wade has a better scoring average for his career than The Truth but Pierce could be credited for making more shots that seemed almost impossible to drain.
Dwyane Wade’s response to Pierce
After Paul Pierce went on air to claim his career was better than Dwayne Wade’s, along with being a better player than The Flash, the world could not wait to hear Wade’s rebuttal to Pierce’s statement. And in 2023, Wade finally broke the silence while making an appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show. When asked what he felt about Pierce’s comments, this is what the Miami Heat legend had to say.
“Listen, rent is expensive in America, and I’m living rent-free right now. So let him keep—I like living rent-free. This is why I love the media…It’s documented. I don’t need to say anything. Everything is documented. So, I’ll let you guys go ahead and talk about all that stuff. It sounds better coming from y’all than me.”
He even went on to add, “I’m happy with my career. I don’t know who’s not happy with theirs, but I’m sorry if you’re not. But I’m happy with the way mine went.”
While Wade is more than happy with how his career went down, Pierce has been affected more by the fans’ narrative of his time in the league. But those who have seen Pierce on the floor, know what he was capable of.
