The events
A few days before starting his third NBA season, at the age of 22, Paul Pierce went with his teammate Tony Battie and his brother Derrick, to a party at a private club in the city of Boston. At one point in the evening, Pierce went over to talk to two girls, which unfortunately triggered an attack by William Ragland, a member of a local rap band called "Made Men," along with Tony McCrary and Tony McCrary.along with Tony McCrary and Trevor Watson, also members of the gang, first shoved him, then hit him in the head with a champagne bottle, followed by eleven stab wounds to the face, neck, and back . Quickly, Battie and his brother, who did not notice the attack in time, rushed Pierce, who was only concerned about whether his throwing arm had been hit, to New England Medical Center, where he underwent successful surgery. Three years later, he donated $2.5 million to the hospital where his life was saved as a token of gratitude.
The main perpetrator, William Ragland, was sentenced to between 7 and 10 years in prison. As for Pierce, the fact that he was wearing a leather jacket that night, helped him to keep the wounds from being so deep that they even reached the heart. A few weeks later, "The Truth", nicknamed by Shaquille O'Neal after a matchup between the Lakers and Celtics in which Pierce scored 42 points, was already training with his teammates, and on November 1 he played the first game of the season, scoring 28 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in 38 minutes, in the victory over the Pistons. That season he played all 82 regular season games.
Recovery, physical and psychological
Although on a physical level he had a quick and successful recovery, on a psychological level he dragged many problems during the first years.
"People don't know this, but I carried a gun for two years after that. I was very paranoid. I kept it in the car, I carried it with me, I was very paranoid after that. It was like I couldn't be in crowds. Something like that happens to you and it's very traumatic," Pierce said on the All The Smoke podcast.
Pierce struggled with depression for more than a year.
"I think that was the reason I got back on track so quickly. Me sitting at home thinking about the event wasn't working. I would go to every practice, sit on the side for hours, because that's where I felt safe. I didn't want the workouts to end because then I had to go back to that world that terrified me." He was telling ESPN's Jackie MacMullan in 2018.
Thanks to family and friends, he was able to overcome that situation and continue to enjoy basketball and life.
Legacy.
In 2008, he got his first and only ring after winning in the Finals against Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant 's Los Angeles Lakers , being named Finals MVP.
After 15 years with the Celtics, he played another 4 seasons with Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers, to end up signing a one-day contract with the Celtics in July 2017 to announce his retirement as a player of the franchise with which he made history.
In addition, during his career he was 10 times member of the "All-Star", 1 time member of the second best quintet of the season, and three times member of the third best quintet. On February 11, 2018, the "Proud Green" franchise, retired his jersey with the number 34, and in 2021, he was included in the list of the 75 best players in NBA history, and named member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.