Pierce explains why he refused to leave Celtics after near-fatal incident

Former NBA player Paul Pierce. Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Paul Pierce explains why he refused to leave Celtics after near-fatal 2000 stabbing incident

By Yagya Bhargava | Last updated Feb 16, 2026 12:36 PM ET

Paul Pierce isn't just another Boston Celtics legend. He's the star who carried that franchise through some of its darkest years and delivered Banner 17 in 2008.

But there is a chapter of his story that goes beyond basketball, one that could have ended everything before it really got started.

In September 2000, Pierce was stabbed at the Buzz Club in Boston's Theater District. Players throw around the idea of the NBA being a battlefield all the time. For Pierce, it got real. The attack left him dealing with fear and paranoia during one of the hardest stretches of his life.

Years later, on a recent episode of the "No Fouls Given" podcast, a fan asked him why he stayed in Boston after going through something that traumatic in that city.

"I always felt like you can't run from like, issues. If you got issues, there gonna be issues no matter where you at," Pierce said. "And I love the city. I love the support I got from the organization after. I didn't want to leave my teammates, and I felt like we had some of a future we can build on, and I just was just like, man, it just felt right.

"You know, if you get traded somewhere or want to be somewhere else, you know, anything can happen. I just was like, you know what, this is where I want to be. I'm not going to run from it. It was an isolated incident. I feel it wasn't like I had beef in the streets. So, I was just like, you know. I'm here to stick it out."

The truth behind Paul Pierce's scars

Pierce was 22 years old and still finding his place in the NBA when his life nearly fell apart in a single night. The Celtics had not cracked the playoffs yet, but he was emerging as the face of the franchise, putting in the work and earning the trust of the city.

That September night in 2000 had nothing to do with any of that. He was out at the Buzz Club in Boston's Theater District, expecting a regular evening. Instead, an argument broke out while he was talking with a woman.

Her brother hit him over the head with a bottle and stabbed him 11 times in the neck, chest and back. Pierce needed emergency lung surgery just to survive the night.

Three men were arrested. Two of them were convicted following a three-week trial in 2002. Pierce has been open about what that experience left behind, not just the physical damage but the fear and paranoia that followed him for a while after.

Pierce stuck around in Boston through 2013, long enough to deliver the 2008 NBA championship the city had been waiting for. He finished his playing days with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers.

But Boston was always home. The Celtics retired his jersey, and that probably says everything.

Yagya Bhargava

Yagya Bhargava began his professional journey as a chef, but his passion for sports eventually led him into sports journalism. He started writing in 2022 and has since published more than 5,000 articles covering the NFL and NBA. Along the way, he’s worked with outlets like The Cold Wire, Sportskeeda, The SportsRush, and The Big Lead

More must-reads: