Paul Pierce has always maintained that he was a better NBA player than Dwyane Wade. Pierce sparked the controversy for the first time in 2019 when he declared on ESPN that he had a better NBA career than D-Wade. The Boston Celtics legend has received a lot of flak from fans for his hot take since then. However, he reiterated the same sentiment recently on the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, citing his reasons for such a belief. 15 days after the intriguing interaction, Pierce ended up in a battle of words with fans on social media, calling himself better than 99.9% of NBA Twitter.
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Paul Pierce called out NBA fans on Twitter for criticizing him
Pierce’s Wade take has always invited a sea of ridicule and criticism from NBA fans. Therefore, when fans called the former Celtics star out for playing with great players himself, like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Shaquille O’Neal, Pierce retaliated with a pointed jibe.
“My skills went unappreciated because I didn’t get to play with a lot of great players.” – @paulpierce34
D. Wade vs The Truth
via #ItIsWhatItIs pic.twitter.com/9DOfxFyzE0— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) July 22, 2023
I’m still better at hoop than 99.9 percent of people on twitter 😂😂😂😂
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) August 7, 2023
“I’m still better at hoop than 99.9 percent of people on twitter [laughing emojis],” the 45-year-old tweeted. When a fan pointed out how ridiculous Pierce looks comparing himself to fans, he had something to say to them as well. “Paul Pierce went from comparing himself to DWade to obese Twitter users,” the fan wrote on Twitter. ‘The Truth’ quote-tweeted the fan’s tweet, writing, “Y’all got the most to say Dummy.”
Y’all got the most to say Dummy https://t.co/eN1YNfV3cN
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) August 7, 2023
While Pierce seemed to have taken offense to fans’ remarks, their claims do have substance. Wade might have gotten a much younger version of Shaq in Miami than what Pierce got in Boston, however, Pierce did play with the likes of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen for a large chunk of his career. And there’s no guarantee that he would have won more Championships with LeBron and Bosh on his side than what Wade did.
The Wade vs Pierce debate
While debating hypotheticals might lead us astray, a direct comparison between Wade and Pierce might provide a clearer picture. Both players were pivotal members of Championship teams in the NBA, securing Finals MVP awards after their team’s success. Pierce retired with more regular season points than Wade. On the other hand, the Miami Heat legend had more postseason points to his name.
However, Dwyane Wade was a much more explosive player than Pierce, even though injuries had slowed him down significantly. The 13-time NBA All-Star also thrived on the defensive end of the floor like few other guards in league history have been able to. As a result, popular opinion always tends to tilt in favor of Wade in an all-time debate against Pierce.
