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Questionable media takes aside, Paul Pierce was one of the coldest hoopers of his era. But is anyone putting the Celtics legend at the top of their GOAT list? Apparently so…
In a recent poll done by The Athletic which asked 133 current NBA players who the greatest player of all-time is: 45.9% said Michael Jordan, 42.1% said LeBron James, Kobe Bryant received 9.8% and Stephen Curry, Magic Johnson and Paul Pierce all tied with 0.8%.
Obviously one of these names is not like the other and fans pointed that out on social media.
“OK who voted Paul Pierce?” a user asked.
“paul pierce votes is NASTY work,” another said.
“Paul Pierce being tied with Steph & Magic is why I don’t discuss the NBA with 99% of people but this is even wilder coming from actual NBA players,” a fan tweeted.
“Everyone is going to assume it’s Paul Pierce himself but it’s active players voting,” another person commented. “My honest to god best guess is Al Horford or Jaylen Brown is the culprit here lol. Guaranteed.”
OK who voted Paul Pierce? pic.twitter.com/SxuzvFlj0a
— Taco Trey Kerby (@treykerby) April 22, 2024
Pierce was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2021 after a 19-year career that included 10 All-Star appearances and four All-NBA teams with a championship and Finals MVP honors — as well as a placement on the league’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Obviously he wouldn’t be considered many people’s GOAT. But he did go toe-to-toe with the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant on some of the game’s biggest stages and that’s certainly worth something.