Paul Pierce has been playing in the NBA since before most current high school sophomores were born.
Thursday marked the 16th anniversary of Pierce’s NBA debut for the Boston Celtics, and it’s easy to forget just how impressive a debut that was.
Starting as a rookie in the first game of the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, Pierce immediately was a force, going off for 19 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals in 39 minutes.
Antoine Walker added 21 points of his own, but it wasn’t enough to push the Celtics past the Toronto Raptors, who got 27 points from Doug Christie and 28 from Kevin Willis in a 103-92 win. (Also making his debut that night? Future eight-time All-Star Vince Carter.)
Stat lines like that were the norm for the then-21-year-old Pierce, who scored in double figures in each of his first 12 games as a pro and 39 of his 48 games that season.
Pierce’s tenure in Boston ended two summers ago, but just for fun, we took a look back at how all 15 current Celtics fared in their respective NBA debuts (spoiler alert: none came close to matching Pierce’s).
Gerald Wallace (for the Sacramento Kings), Oct. 30, 2001: Two points (1-for-1 shooting), two rebounds in five minutes vs. the Seattle SuperSonics.
Tayshaun Prince (for the Detroit Pistons), Oct. 30, 2002: Two points (0-for-0), two rebounds, one assist, one turnover in seven minutes vs. the New York Knicks.
Brandon Bass (for the New Orleans Hornets), Nov. 1, 2005: Two points (1-for-1), one rebound, one turnover in four minutes vs. Sacramento.
Shavlik Randolph (for the Philadelphia 76ers), Nov. 15, 2005: Two points (1-for-1) in one minute vs. Toronto.
Marcus Thornton (for New Orleans), Nov. 6, 2009: Two points (1-for-2), one assist in two minutes vs. Toronto.
Evan Turner (for Philadelphia), Oct. 27, 2010: 16 points (7-for-10), seven rebounds, four assists, one block, two turnovers in 31 minutes vs. the Miami Heat.
Avery Bradley, Nov. 22, 2010: Two points (0-for-2), one rebound, one assist, one steal, two turnovers in six minutes vs. the Atlanta Hawks.
Jae Crowder (for the Dallas Mavericks), Oct. 30, 2012: Eight points (3-for-7, 2-for-4 from three), three rebounds, two assists, one steal, one turnover in 20 minutes vs. the Los Angeles Lakers.
Tyler Zeller (for the Cleveland Cavaliers), Oct. 30, 2012: Five points (2-for-4), two rebounds, one steal in 15 minutes vs. the Washington Wizards.
Jared Sullinger, Oct. 30, 2012: Two points (1-for-2), one rebound in eight minutes vs. Miami.
Kelly Olynyk, Oct. 30, 2013: Four points (2-for-5), three turnovers in 16 minutes vs. Toronto.
Phil Pressey, Oct. 30, 2013: Zero points (0-for-2), one rebound, two personal fouls in four minutes vs. Toronto.
Marcus Smart, Oct. 29, 2014: 10 points (3-for-7), two rebounds, two assists, four steals in 28 minutes vs. the Brooklyn Nets.
James Young, Nov. 1, 2014: Six points (3-for-3), one rebound, one block in six minutes vs. the Houston Rockets.
Andre Dawkins (for Miami), Nov. 1, 2014: Zero points (0-for-0), one turnover in two minutes vs. Philadelphia.
