Jun 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics former player Paul Pierce looks into a video camera on the court before game two of the 2024 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Celtics Legend Paul Pierce Makes Wild Claim Following Recent LeBron James Comments

Originally posted on Boston Celtics on SI | By Ryan Stano | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 6:05 PM ET

The Boston Celtics had a rivalry with LeBron James early in his career. During his first stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he was trying to knock off the Celtics as one of the best teams in the East.

Paul Pierce was part of those battles against James and the Cavs. He played against James when he moved to the Miami Heat in pursuit of winning his first championship.

While Pierce was a great player in the league, he never came close to approaching the level that James has achieved in his illustrious NBA career.

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Despite that fact, Pierce just made an outlandish statement regarding his basketball abilities. While appearing on Speak on FS1, Pierce claimed he was the best pure scorer in the history of the league while responding to a recent James comment saying Kevin Durant was the "most-equipped" scorer in NBA history.

"I was probably the best pure scorer in the history of the NBA."

- Paul Pierce

( @SpeakOnFS1 )

pic.twitter.com/kxWmUlNszX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 3, 2025

"I was probably the best pure scorer in the history of the league, because I was pretty equipped. When I think about it, I'm just saying, I need to be in this conversation."

Pierce believes that he had all of the moves necessary to score the ball from anywhere on the court. He's not saying he was the best player, but he thinks as a scorer, he is certainly up there.

As a player, Pierce was certainly able to do whatever it takes to put the ball in the hoop. Scoring the ball was by far the best attribute that he brought to the court every night.

Still, calling himself the best pure scorer in the history of the league is a little much. He was never considered an elite 3-point shooter, only hitting 36.8% of his shots from deep.

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There's a case to be made that Pierce is one of the best players when it comes to getting everything he could out of his body, because he doesn't have a world-class body like some of the other greats.

Pierce was able to create space and be crafty enough to score anyway, even though he wasn't the fastest guy on the court. He's certainly a top 75 player of all time, but he might need to back off these comments.

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