Former NBA star Paul Pierce believes that he was more clutch during his NBA career than Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Pierce was asked recently if it was fact or fiction that he was a more clutch player than the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, to which he responded, “Facts.”
.@PaulPierce34 says he was more clutch than LeBron James 👀🍿
Watch @keyshawn reaction 😅 pic.twitter.com/ClSilBu5uO
— All Facts No Brakes (@AllFactsPod) March 27, 2024
“I’m not getting involved in this at all to be honest with you,” Keyshawn Johnson said after Pierce’s response. “Paul know how I feel about him. And Paul knows how I feel about LeBron James. I could certainly say that, for the record, Paul Pierce stayed in Boston. For the record, that’s all I can say. He didn’t move around. He didn’t do those – he didn’t recruit anybody outside of K.G. (Kevin Garnett) and Ray Allen via trades. That’s all I can say.”
Johnson’s response is interesting, as he seems to be taking a shot at James for moving to different teams in his career to put himself in the best position to win. James has played for the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Lakers, winning a title in each of those spots.
Both Pierce and James have hit their fair share of game-winning shots in their careers, including some pretty legendary ones in the playoffs.
According to BetMGM, James and Pierce both have seven buzzer-beating shots in their respective NBA careers.
It’s hard to simply define a player off of game-winning shots for their ability to be clutch, as James also has one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history, leading the Cavs back from a 3-1 series deficit to win the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
That wasn’t just a singular clutch moment, but instead a trio of well-played games – and a legendary block in Game 7 – that showed that James can shine in the biggest moment.
Both Pierce and James have won NBA titles in their careers, and Pierce was named the NBA Finals MVP in the 2008 NBA Finals win over the Lakers. James, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, has won the award in each of his Finals victories.
Pierce, a Hall of Famer, is certainly entitled to his opinion, but James went 17-13 in the playoffs against Pierce while the Boston Celtics legend was still in the NBA.
James’ career resume may give him the final nod over Pierce in the “clutch” category.
