“ESPN wasn’t a great fit… You have to talk about LeBron James all the time”: Paul Pierce lays into the Network for over-hyping up Lakers star

10x NBA All-Star Paul Pierce discloses the issues he had during his ESPN stint, did not like talking about LeBron James so much

Former Celtics star Paul Pierce was one of the best players we had seen in the 2000s. After a 19-year long career, which included 10x All-Star and an NBA Championship. Soon after he retired from the NBA, ‘The Truth’ signed with ESPN as an analyst.

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Pierce made regular appearances on shows like ‘The Jump’, ‘NBA Countdown’, and more. However, there was always noise that Pierce and the network had strained relations. The situation elevated further when Pierce put a controversial Instagram live, which resulted in ESPN firing him. Paul Pierce is due to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Fame as part of the 2021 class. While the big day approaches, Sports Illustrated sat down to discuss things with Pierce.

Paul Pierce did not like talking about LeBron James

If anyone has watched basketball in the late 2000s and early 2010s, they know how things were between Paul Pierce and LeBron James. Pierce and James shared bad blood, that appeared to extend beyond the basketball court.

Now for his analyst career, ESPN wanted him to constantly talk about LeBron James. Having to talk so much about someone you dislike, there can only be so long before you say something controversial. Talking about his fit with ESPN, Pierce said,

“I was done with them, anyway. It wasn’t a great fit. There’s a lot of stuff over there that you can’t say. And you have to talk about LeBron all the time.”

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All the big networks, including ESPN, have been known to indulge in a little bit too much LeBron James content. I mean, why wouldn’t they? He is the biggest star of our generation, and people love to read/hear about him.