Paul Pierce was one of the former NBA players who became an analyst when he joined ESPN in the 2016 postseason. However, due to an incident in which he broadcast an Instagram live showing how he was surrounded by several women in bikinis and smoking joints, the 2008 champion was fired.
For context, ESPN is owned by Disney and they value their image highly. This could be a big reason why the company let the Hall of Fame striker go soon after the incident.
Comedian TK Kirkland recently shared the reason Pierce was fired from being an announcer.
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“What happened to the old ways? Just walk in and say, ‘Look, motherfuckers. I quit.'” You could do that too, now. No shame.” Kirkland said.
“There’s one thing, you could go in there and say, ‘I quit,’ and keep it going. Or have your agent say, ‘Paul wants out of his contract, he doesn’t want in anymore.’ Now, since we put out all these different stories, this is going to be a conspiracy theory as well.”
“Somebody’s going to say what you said, somebody’s going to say, ‘There were some ugly bitches in that video, that’s why they fired him!’ The president of Disney saw that video and said, “All the money we paid this son of a bitch, he couldn’t have had better bitches. He calls his agent on the phone, fires this motherfucker. ‘Ker. Is this what he’s doing with our money? Couldn’t he pick out nicer bitches?’”
Kirkland’s reasoning could be a valid argument that could be used to explain why Pierce was fired from ESPN. On the plus side, the former 10-time All-Star is an accomplished NBA star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.
Check out Pierce’s Instagram live that got him fired in 2021.
You may also be interested in reading this: “I got fired for having some entertainment” -Paul Pierce on being fired from ESPN after the Instagram Live debacle
Paul Pierce shared an interesting story about a particular game against Kobe Bryant
Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant have had incredible battles in the past and have given fans a lot to look back on. In a recent interview, the former Boston Celtics star shared an instance where Bryant showed him the true Mamba Mentality.
“He pressured me so much, I think he shot the ball every time it went down. He was like 40. He was around 40-something. I looked at the stat sheet, he made 41 shots at me.”
“He came to Boston and fired 41 shots at me and I was like, ‘Wait, dude.’ He was trying to rip my head off. Like, I was trying to go for 80″.
Based on Pierce’s story, it’s clear that Bryant’s Mamba Mentality was always ready. That’s probably why he was feared by some of the stars he played against.
Also read: ‘I feel like it’s our duty’: Paul Pierce explains why it’s important for legends to return and connect with modern-day superstars.