Celtics Will Retire Paul Pierce’s Number
Photo via AP
No member of the Boston Celtics will ever wear No. 34 again.
In an interview Monday with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich, team president Wyc Grousbeck strongly implied that the Celtics will retire Paul Pierce’s number. Pierce, who was named Finals MVP during the team’s 2008 championship run, will also join the organization in a role yet to be determined.
The 39-year-old played his final NBA game Sunday, as his Los Angeles Clippers fell to the Utah Jazz in Game 7 of their first-round matchup. The Celtics drafted Pierce 10th overall in 1998. By the time he and Kevin Garnett were traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, Pierce had left his mark on the Celtics all-times lists; he’s second only to John Havlicek in points, third in games played, and first in three-pointers.
“I’d like to get Danny [Ainge] and Brad [Stevens’] input on it the this offseason, and see what Paul would like to do. But he’s a finals MVP, and the last player to wear No. 34 for us,” Grousbeck said.
