Feb. 11, 2018.
Mark it on your calendars, Boston Celtics fans. That’s the date the organization will retire Paul Pierce’s No. 34 during a pregame ceremony at TD Garden.
The Celtics will face the Cleveland Cavaliers that day in a Sunday matinée scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, meaning LeBron James, one of Pierce’s fiercest on-court rivals, will be on hand for the festivities.
Pierce spent 15 of his 19 seasons with the Celtics, earning 10 All-Star selections and winning one NBA title in 2008. The Truth signed a one-day contract with Boston last month to retire as a Celtic.
“The moment I was drafted by the Celtics, I knew I was joining one of the most historic organizations in the NBA,” Pierce said, according to a press release. “For 15 years, I played at the Garden, looking up at the jerseys of some of the most iconic players in the game — Russell, Bird, and Cousy. To now be recognized alongside those names is such an honor. I have always said I would be a Celtic for life, and now it is really coming true.”
Pierce’s No. 34 will become the 22nd retired number in Celtics franchise history and the first since Cedric Maxwell’s No. 31 was retired by Boston on Dec. 15, 2003.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
