Paul Pierce Issues Demand To Skip Bayless After Celtics Win Title

Paul Pierce on Tuesday had a lot to say about his beloved Celtics, who won the NBA championship on their home floor the night prior.

But before “The Truth” gushed over his former team, he needed to take care of some business with his “Undisputed” co-host.

“First off, Skip (Bayless), I need an apology to Jayson Tatum,” Pierce said on FOX Sports 1. “You ripped him. You said he couldn’t be the guy, he didn’t have the ‘it’ factor, Lonzo (Ball) will be better than him eventually. Hold on. We need to get some apologies out the way before I get started. You did say that. This is all documented. ‘He don’t have the ‘it’ factor. He’s not a dog,’ What else? There’s a lot more. The list is long, but it would take up the whole show for me to go over all of these things you said about him. We just need a short apology. He’s a champion now.”

Boston’s series win over Dallas was a crowning achievement for Tatum, who made multiple deep playoff runs but came up short of the ultimate goal in his first six NBA seasons. But the five-time All-Star and his Boston teammates finally finished the job this year, which forced a slew of doubters to eat crow.

Tatum and company now will be able to enjoy a summer of celebrations, but the focus soon will shift to the next challenge. The Celtics, led by the duo of Tatum and Jaylen Brown, will have a great opportunity to win it all again next season.