Paul Pierce remained unapologetic about the now-infamous Instagram Live showing him smoking and gambling around strippers in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated. The video cost him his job as an analyst at ESPN, something he is unbothered by.
“I was done with them, anyway,” Pierce said. “It wasn’t a great fit. There’s a lot of stuff over there that you can’t say. And you have to talk about LeBron all the time.”
He admitted that the relationship was strained by the time the video surfaced. He didn’t enjoy traveling, and executives for the network felt he wasn’t working hard enough.
Pierce’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, wanted him to apologize, believing it could impact his Hall of Fame votes. But the former hoopster maintains he didn’t do anything that warranted an apology.
“Come on, I didn’t do anything illegal,” he said. “These motherf*ckers in the Hall of Fame, some did [cocaine], f*cking battery,” he said. “What the f*ck did I do? I was just having a good time. All the people coming after me, half you motherf*ckers do the same shit. You’re just hiding it. And you all are married while you’re doing it. I’m divorced. I’m retired. I’m having fun.”
The former Boston Celtic is set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday. The 16-person class includes former players such as Chris Webber, Chris Bosh, and Ben Wallace.
