Paul Pierce and Kobe Bryant are two of the most decorated players to have ever graced the sport. These two legends don’t need any introduction. While Bryant played for Los Angeles Lakers, Pierce served Boston Celtics. Interestingly, the Lakers and Celtics are currently tied at 17 NBA Championship triumphs. This iconic rivalry has produced memorable matches throughout NBA history, especially during the time when Kobe Bryant’s Lakers took on Paul Pierce’s Celtics.
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The Lakers almost always got better of the Celtics during Kobe’s time and the two superstars shared an intense rivalry. Interestingly enough, Paul Pierce recently revealed his NBA top 5 that does not include Bryant.
Paul Pierce excludes Kobe Bryant from his top 5
The NBA has a long history of having the best players play in the league. While it is a tedious task to pick up the best players from the long list of phenomenal athletes, some names are common in everyone’s list. One of them is certainly Kobe Bryant.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – JAN. 13, 2015. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant warms up before a game against the Miami Heat on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
He is often regarded as one of the best players in the league who changed had a great influence on the game. Apart from that, during his incredible career, he has won almost everything there is to win individually and team-wise. Bryant has won the league five times, won finals MVP twice, 2 times scoring champ, and other accolades.
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However, Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce doesn’t feel Bryant deserves a place in his all-time top 5 NBA players list. He took to Twitter to announce his top 5 players of all time that doesn’t include Bryant. Pierce’s top 5 are Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kevin Garnett.
My top 5 nba all time players magic Jordan lebron shaq and Kg when I think about top five I say these r the only player I dreamed about playing with most inspirational players ever
— Paul Pierce (@paulpierce34) March 18, 2022
Interestingly enough, Bryant and Pierce had an intense rivalry. These two legends battled it out in the NBA during their playing days representing their respective franchises.
Bryant vs Pierce: Head to Head
The two have played against each other a whopping 39 times, 26 times in the regular season, and 13 times in the playoff. While Bryant has the upper hand with 20 wins over the Celtics legend, the latter has won 7 games out of the 13 playoff matches between them.
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Paul Pierce (R) of the Boston Celtics moves the ball away from Kobe Bryant (L) of the Los Angeles Lakers during Game 3 of the 2008 NBA Finals in Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 2008. Bryant scored 36 points and the Los Angeles Lakers held off Boston to defeat the Celtics 87-81, pulling within two games to one in the National Basketball Association Finals. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant averaged 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists in the games against Pierce. On the other hand, Paul Pierce averaged 21.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists. (Source: landofbasketball.com)
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Do you agree with Paul Pierce not having Kobe Bryant in the top 5? Let us know in the comments below.
Written by
Edited by
Niranjan Deodhar