NBA legend Paul Pierce is remembered for his electrifying plays on the court and the epic NBA title win in 2008. However, the one thing that sets him apart from everyone else in the league is his nickname. Nicknames are nothing new to the league and some of the biggest athletes in the sport have multiple iconic nicknames. As for Pierce, he was known as ‘The Truth’. Interestingly, the nickname is the creation of a man who has numerous popular nicknames himself, Shaquille O’Neal.
On the recent episode of I Am Athlete podcast, Pierce joined the hosts to talk about his Hall of Famer NBA career and more. During one of the segments of the episode, Pierce reflected on his iconic nickname and how it came into existence.
Paul Pierce reveals the role of Shaquille O’Neal behind his nickname
‘The Truth’ might just be the most iconic nickname in NBA history. It also makes a strong claim of being the coolest NBA nickname ever. Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce has Shaquille O’Neal to thank for this nickname.
Back in 2001, Pierce was just in his third season in the league while Shaq was the reigning MVP. The Los Angeles Lakers took on the Celtics and won the game 112-107. Despite his team’s loss, Pierce’s 42-point performance caught the attention of the NBA world. After the game, Shaq talked to a Boston beat reporter and bestowed upon Pierce his new nickname, ‘The Truth’.
Pierce said, “Yeah Shaq gave me that one. I came to LA, I came to Staples and I dropped like 42 on them and I think we won that game. He [Shaquille O’Neal] saw me giving cold buckets so after the game he went to the reporter and was like, ‘I knew he was good, I didn’t know he was that good’. I think this is my third year or something like that and he said, ‘he’s the motherf***ing truth‘.”
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This nickname tagged along with Pierce no matter which NBA team he joined. Safe to say, he lived up to his nickname as Paul Pierce retired as one of the icons of the game.
Shaq is responsible for some other iconic nicknames
What unites Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett? They all had iconic nicknames which were given by one person. Yes, you guessed it right, it is Shaq.
‘The Big Fundamental’, Duncan’s iconic nickname was devised by O’Neal. Moreover, he also referred to Kevin Garnett as ‘The Big Ticket’ as there was nothing else to do in Minnesota than to watch KG play. Safe to say, Shaq has had his fair share in shaping NBA history!
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What is your favorite NBA nickname? Let us know in the comments down below.
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