Iman Shumpert has recently revealed several stories about the Boston Celtics royalties Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett as opponents in his podcast, Iman Against Men on Undisputed. Shumpert was drafted into the league as a 17th overall pick from the Draft class of 2011 by the New York Knicks. Since then, Shumpert spent around four seasons at the Big Apple, before moving to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015. As a rookie, Shumpert had first-hand experience as a victim to KG and Paul Pierce’s trash-talking. Describing the same, Shumpert acknowledged how the two legends at Celtics had the ability to break their opponents on-court.
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Shumpert joined the likes of Carmelo Anthony at Knicks, where he remained for almost 4 seasons. After being traded to the Cavs in 2015, Shumpert had the unique opportunity to play and win a championship alongside LeBron James. In a much fairy tale-like manner, the Cavs did win their first championship in 2016, also earning Shumpert his first and LeBron James his third ring.
Paul Pierce used to intimidate rookie Iman Shumpert with his trash-talking
The Celtics team, consisting of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen had the unique ability to exert incredible mental pressure from opponents. KG and Pierce were excellent trash-talkers on-court. Their words against opponents had the most tantalizing mental effect on the teams Celtics would play against. Unfortunately, a rookie Iman Shumpert fell victim to Paul Pierce’s trash talks, while playing alongside Melo at the Knicks. Here is what Shumpert had to say about his experience to Gilbert Arenas.
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“That’s Paul Pierce. looked at Melo and he said, ‘Ayo Melo! Who is this little man? Who is that?’ I’m like ‘Bro, score another bucket on me and talk to another man.’ He putting the ball dead in front of my face, the crossover right there and I’m like, I studied it. It’s here. I got it. [imitating Paul Pierce] ‘Who is this young man? Who’s y’all got me? Who’s guarding me man? Melo, let me know when you ready to play.’ Damn, I’m not out there.”
There is no doubt in guessing about Paul Pierce’s performance that night against the Knicks. As evident from Shumpert’s words, Pierce was scoring some easy buckets against Carmelo’s team, leading ahead for an easy win. Years later, all these stories of trash-talking and lip-smacking have now become important in the rich legacy of the Boston Celtics franchise. And when speaking about on-court banter, certainly Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce are the kings of it.
Pierce claimed his influence to be the reason behind LeBron James’ $109,837,500 Miami Heat decision
Celtics royalty Paul Pierce recently revealed himself to be the real reason behind LeBron James’ move to Miami Heat. Since being drafted, LeBron James had a rising rivalry with players from the Celtics, especially Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Celtics found several different occasions to humiliate and slam James’ Cavs in regular season games. The worst defeat might have been the 2010 Eastern Conference Semi-finals, which the Cavs lost 4-2 against Boston. Speaking about LeBron’s Miami move, here is what Pierce had to say.
“No I am not better than LeBron. But, on any given day, I can be. Let’s talk about it. I’m a big reason he went to Miami. I’m a big reason, I’m a big part of it. Let’s talk about that. When I went for 41 in game-7, sent him home.”
A consolation for LeBron James in this game might have been to be the top scorer with 45 points. Despite such blatant claims, Pierce still considers LeBron James the GOAT. James’ ability to handle extreme pressure right from the start has made him a unique specimen of a player. His relentless drive and passion for the game have earned Bron a place in Paul Pierce’s GOAT conclusion.
