Paul Pierce arrives at the World Premiere of Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Candy Cane Lane’ held at the Regency Village Theatre on November 28, 2023, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, United States. — Photo by Image Press Agency/Depositphotos
*During his long NBA career, Paul Pierce crossed paths with countless celebrities, entertainers, and public figures. Yet despite spending nearly 20 years in the spotlight, the Boston Celtics icon says only two non-athletes ever truly left him starstruck. According to Pierce, actor Denzel Washington and former President Barack Obama stand alone in that category.
According to Basketball Network, Pierce shared the story during a recent appearance on the “White Noise” podcast with Derrick White. His first unforgettable encounter came at the 2002 NBA All-Star Game in Philadelphia. Pierce recalled being stunned when Washington personally called him over from the stands.
“So, at my first All-Star game, Denzel was like, ‘Hey, Pierce, come here.’ I was like, ‘You talking to me?’ I took a picture with Denzel. He was courtside while I was in the layup line and I was like, ‘Damn, that’s Denzel right there.’ Yeah, you know, Denzel was the top for me for actors at the time,” Pierce said.
Highest 2 Lowest – Denzel Washington screenshot
Pierce’s second starstruck moment came years later, following the Celtics’ 2008 championship. Former head coach Doc Rivers arranged what players initially believed was a routine team outing at a Boston museum. Pierce said the surprise became clear once they turned a corner inside the building.
“[In] Boston, I didn’t realize we were meeting Obama and Doc had set it up. We went to the museum as a team and, we’re thinking, ‘What are we going to the museum for?’” he said.
“The museum was closed off. Then we hit the corner and Obama was right there. We were like, ‘Oh, damn.’ So, we had a meet and greet with Obama in an empty museum in Boston. We all took flicks and I thought that was dope,” Paul added.
For Pierce, even decades of fame couldn’t dull the impact of meeting icons beyond basketball.
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