Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce is never shy about sharing his thoughts, and he recently voiced his opinion on his least favorite NBA city to play in.
Pierce noted he loved playing in Chicago, but he definitely wasn’t fond of playing in another Midwest city.
“I hate Cleveland,” Pierce said on Jan. 9, during “White Noise”. “Cleveland is so bad that you couldn’t get anything to eat after eight o’clock. I couldn’t wait to get in and out of there.”
Pierce is known for having a rocky relationship with Cleveland, mainly due to his rivalry with LeBron James. The two faced off several times in the postseason when James was with both the Cavs and the Miami Heat.
Story continues below advertisement
The Cavs and James struggled against Pierce in the postseason, losing two playoff series to him. However, James managed to overcome Pierce and the Celtics in the playoffs during both 2011 and 2012 while in Miami.
When James returned for a four-season stint in Cleveland in 2014, the Cavaliers eliminated the Celtics from the playoffs three times. Although Pierce wasn’t part of those Boston squads, he remains a Celtic at heart and likely felt disappointed to see Boston come up short in its quest for the NBA Finals.
There are always rivalries among NBA players and cities, and Pierce is part of a long line of athletes who didn’t have the best experiences visiting Cleveland.
Story continues below advertisement
Featured image via David Butler II/Imagn Images
