In response to the seemingly endless comparisons with Hall of Fame Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, Miami Heat legend and soon-to-be Hall of Famer himself Dwyane Wade took a humble approach to the controversy, acknowledging Pierce’s greatness even as he threw in a subtle jab or two to his former rival in a recent interview with the New York Time’s Sopan Deb.
Pierce, to be fair, has not helped cool the flames amongst his and Wade’s respective fanbases with his own responses to those comparisons, saying things like “Put Shaq on my team. Put LeBron and Bosh with me. I’m not going to win one? You don’t think me, LeBron, and Bosh, we’re not going to win one? We’re not going to win a couple?”
Wade, in contrast, answers “I’m living rent-free right now” when asked about the furor over which player had a better career.
Celtics Lab 210: FIBA flubs, insurance fraud and fan surveys in the doldrums with Wayne Spooney https://t.co/4RZ9ObKh4z via @thecelticswire pic.twitter.com/M4w6E8Pq4j
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 11, 2023
“I (have) got so many things going on in my life,” added the former Heat champion. “Comparing myself to someone who’s not playing or someone who is playing is definitely not on my to-do list.”
“Listen, Paul Pierce was one of the greatest players that we’ve had in our game. And I think, you know, when you are a great player and you don’t get the attention that you feel like your game deserved, sometimes you’ve got to grab whatever attention where those straws are. And Paul believes he’s a better player than me. He should believe that. That’s why he was great.”
“That’s not my argument, and I didn’t play the game to be better than Paul Pierce,” he continued. “I played the game the way I played it, and I made the sacrifices that I made. Everybody doesn’t want to sacrifice.”
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