Paul Pierce seems to believe his removal from ESPN was unjust.
Pierce, who first joined the Worldwide Leader as an NBA analyst in 2017, was fired from his role in April 2021 following an infamous Instagram live session. The Basketball Hall of Famer was seen drinking, smoking and being entertained by dancers.
The former Boston Celtics star, however, would argue none of those activities warranted termination.
“I got fired for what? I got fired for having some entertainment,” Pierce said on the “I AM ATHLETE” podcast, as transcribed by The Boston Globe. “I’m playing cards, (it’s) my boy’s birthday, there’s girls dancing, and we’re blowing some trees. What did I do wrong?”
Pierce went on to explain he was contacted by an ESPN representative after the video started to make headlines.
“She’s like ‘Yeah, we’re doing an investigation. Could you tell us what happened?’ Pierce said. “And I’m like, ‘You didn’t see it?’ I was just hanging out, playing cards. It wasn’t my house. It was self-explanatory, you know what I’m saying? There were some girls dancing, and I had some (marijuana). It’s legal. I didn’t do nothing illegal.
“But you know, at the end of the day, it’s Disney, and they have a morals clause, and they just said it was immoral.”
As for Pierce’s former team, the Celtics will kick off their 2023 NBA playoff run Saturday in Boston against either the Miami Heat or the Atlanta Hawks.
