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“We Good With $500 Million”: Paul Pierce Predicts His Son Prince Will Be A Top Tier NBA 3&D Specialist

Samir Mehdi
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce in attendance with son Prince before the Los Angeles Dodgers play against the Oakland Athletics at Dodger Stadium

NBA players are more likely than not to have children who follow in their footsteps or at the very least make an attempt to do so. Paul Pierce believes his son, Prince, will try and enter the league when his time comes. While on his show ‘Ticket and the Truth’ alongside Kevin Garnett, he spoke on how much his son would demand in the open market.

“By the time Prince will get in the league, the 3&D specialist is going to get $500 million. And the rest of the superstars are going to be at $1 billion. We good with $500 million.”

This was in response to KG asking Pierce if he’ll be teaching his son moves like pump fakes and jab steps. While these are fairly basic maneuvers, they’re usually used by superstar players trying to create separation on isos. Clearly, the former Celtics forward has no interest in having Prince take up that responsibility once he gets to the league as having him shoot 3s and defend would be enough to create generational wealth.

Currently, 3&D players are quite the sought-after commodity. A top-tier player with this archetype is Mikal Bridges. While he is having an up and down year with the Knicks, when he’s firing on all cylinders, it’s clear his attributes blend perfectly as support for stars on his team.

Currently, Bridges makes $23.3 million in 2024-25 which is quite the team friendly contract in today’s NBA. As the salary cap increases with the expansion of the league and a new broadcasting deal on the horizon, salaries for individual players are also set to undergo a massive uptick.

Prince Pierce is 11 years old and so he’s still about 7-8 years away from potentially entering the league. That timeline is taking into consideration him going one-and-done at college and being good enough to do so.

In a mere 7-8 years, it would be impossible for the market to overvalue 3&D players to such a high extent that they would garner $500 million multi-year contracts. The fact that Pierce over the course of 2 decades made just over $200 million in NBA contracts goes to show just how difficult it is to earn anything close to the number he wants his son to make. It’s safe to say Paul’s dream of having his son sign for that much isn’t all too realistic.

However, if Prince does turn out to be a solid prospect, he certainly would get taken care of financially from his very first contract. What’s more interesting about what Paul said is him pushing his son down the 3&D path while having been in the NBA for close to two decades as a superstar with offensive freedom.

Perhaps Paul recognizes the trials and tribulations of being a player that has to carry the burden of expectations on his shoulders as the number one option and does not want that life for Prince.

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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