Paul Pierce is considered one of the bests to step on the court for Boston Celtics. During his playing career, he was a 10-time All-Star and won a ring with the Celtics in 2008. Pierce is popularly known as ‘The Truth,’ a nickname Shaquille O’Neal gave him in 2001. However, not many know the backstory behind Shaquille O’Neal giving Pierce his now-popular nickname.
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In a 2001 game against the Lakers, Paul went all out against Shaq and Co. and dropped 42 points. The Big Diesel was much impressed by Pierce’s performance, leading to his famous nickname.
After earning this nickname from the great Shaq, Paul Pierce’s career trajectory took a much more positive turn. He became the NBA champion with the Celtics in 2008 and won the Finals MVP for the series. For NBA players, their nicknames define their character and style of league play. Kobe Bryant, for example, is known as the Black Mamba for his incredible work ethic. Similarly, earning a nickname for Paul Pierce was his chance to make this name count in the league.
Shaquille O’Neal was the player behind popularizing and anointing Paul Pierce’s nickname ‘The Truth’
Paul Pierce’s 2001 Lakers vs. Celtics performance earned him a life-long nickname. The Truth, as we now know Pierce, was a name given by Shaquille O’Neal, who was as impressed as the fans after playing against Pierce. Pierce dropped 42 points, two assists, and six rebounds against the Lakers in that game. Here is a clip of the game posted on Twitter by the Celtics Republic.
After this game, Shaq gave Paul Pierce his nickname, “The Truth.”
— ☘︎ (@CelticsRepublic) July 28, 2023
On the other hand, Shaquille O’Neal had 28 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist in the game. Although the Celtics lost 107-112 against the Lakers in Staples Center, Pierce was easily the best player that day. In a post-game interview, Shaq highly praised Pierce and remarked,
“My name is Shaquille O’Neal and Paul Pierce is the motherf**ing truth. Quote me on that and don’t take nothing out. I knew he could play, but I didn’t know he could play like this. Paul Pierce is ‘The Truth.'”
Surely, Pierce did live up to his nickname following the seasons after this game. From 2002 to 2006, Pierce made an All-Star appearance in every season. He was also the points leader in the league (2,144 points) in 2002 and was selected for the All-NBA Third Team in 2002 and 2003. The most crucial point in his career came in 2008, when Pierce won the NBA championship with the Celtics and was the Finals MVP.
Shaq was one of the pioneers of coining nicknames in the NBA
Aside from having several nicknames for himself, Shaq was also a master in anointing others with their popular nicknames. Just like he had given Paul Pierce his nickname, Dwyane Wade’s The Flash and Tim Duncan’s The Big Fundamental were also coined by Shaq.
Not just these, if we count recent examples, Shaq had nicknames for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the former Curry-Thompson-Poole trio as well. We now know Giannis as the ‘Superman’ and the Warriors trio as the ‘Splash Brothers,’ all thanks to Shaq.
