Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce didn’t have time to prepare for the life of fame and fortune. He found himself in the public’s spotlight as a teenager. That in itself was a challenge, but the rise of social media eventually forced him to improve his behavior.
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Pierce rose to stardom at the young age of 17 as part of the iconic 1995 McDonald’s All-American Roster, which also featured Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter and Stephon Marbury. His extraordinary talent earned him a scholarship to play for the Kansas Jayhawks.
When he was younger, Pierce just had to worry about his actions in the moment. But with the evolution of social media, he discovered that anything he did could be caught on video, shared to socials or posted on the internet, where it will last forever. He learned fairly quickly that living with fame required him to change his entire perspective.
“I’ve seen the transition and the errors of when you can do stuff in public and it wasn’t recorded to now it’s recorded,” Pierce said on The Truth After Dark. “I understand this part of being famous. If I go out somewhere, I’ve got to respect that, and I can’t be mad at that.”
It isn’t uncommon to witness a public figure express frustration with someone recording them while in public. Although it isn’t ideal to have someone invade your privacy, Pierce understands that comes with fame. He can establish his boundaries. Unfortunately, not everyone will respect them.
It’s important not to lose grasp on the importance of maintaining a positive image. If Pierce slips up, there’s a lot at stake. “You have to change and act accordingly, especially if you’ve got kids or you’re a famous cat that doesn’t want to publicly ruin your family name,” Pierce explained.
Pierce didn’t have this wisdom from the get-go. It took some time for him to reach this level of enlightenment. Over the years, he saw the impact some of his actions had on his three children, and it forced him to change himself for the better.
“It took a long time to realize that if I do something, it’s not only affecting me. It’s affecting my kids; it’s affecting my brothers, my aunties, my mom, my cousins. My sins affect them,” Pierce added.
Many current NBA stars could learn a thing or two from the Hall-of-Fame forward to prevent them from making the same mistakes.
