Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade were rivals for a long time in the NBA, with Wade’s Heat more often getting the better of Pierce’s Celtics. For Pierce, the lack of overall team success has been held against him, particularly when people talk about his career compared to Wade’s, and it clearly is something that bothers him. Pierce has, on a few occasions, tried to make the point that Wade had more help and that if he had similar teams around him earlier in his career, he too might have three rings (or more).
Most recently he tried to make that point on It Is What It Is with Cam’ron and Ma$e, talking again about how if he had gotten his Big Three with Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen together four years sooner, they would’ve also rattled off three titles.
“My skills went unappreciated because I didn’t get to play with a lot of great players.” – @paulpierce34
D. Wade vs The Truth
via #ItIsWhatItIs pic.twitter.com/9DOfxFyzE0— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) July 22, 2023
As always, Pierce’s comments came off as cope, and for the most part Wade tends to avoid addressing stuff like this, but on Tuesday, Wade joined The Le Batard Show and Stugotz couldn’t help but ask him in the most Stugotz way possible about those comments. After dropping a great line about “rent is expensive and I’m living rent free,” Wade noted he’s happy to let others in the media rattle off his accolades in defense but noted that, while he did play with great players (“I got my Avengers”), part of what made him great was his ability to adapt to various styles around him, as playing with Shaq required a far different approach than playing with LeBron and Chris Bosh.
“Rent is expensive and I’m living rent free…it’s documented, I don’t need to say anything…I went and got my Avengers…”
– @DwyaneWade finally responds to Paul Pierce’s comments on who in fact had the better career.
#HeatCulture
https://t.co/UYp07snQ73
… pic.twitter.com/RPBRaP5gv3
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) August 8, 2023
The truth is, we will never know what Pierce could’ve done with what Wade had but we do know how successful Wade was in helping lead two very different teams to titles. Pierce believing he could’ve done the same is just natural for an elite athlete, but unfortunately for him, it always comes off as bitterness. Pierce probably is right that he does not get the level of respect and appreciation he should for how good he was, simply because for a long time the Celtics were not a good team around him. That said, he doesn’t always help himself with his comments and makes it very easy for Wade to take the high road here and look good.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/dwyane-wade-paul-pierce-rent-free-career-video/