Though nearly out of the NBA for a decade, Paul Pierce has kept his rivalry with LeBron James alive. While the two battled with Pierce on the Boston Celtics and James on the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Pierce is still not over his playoff losses to James.
That became clear most recently, as during an interview on NFL legend Shannon Sharpe’s show, ‘Club Shay Shay,’ Pierce made a bold claim about James’ legacy and the number of titles he won.
“If we were the same age, I don’t believe LeBron would have had 4 championships. LeBron wouldn’t have got those 2 in Miami,” Pierce said. “If we’re the same age, I can offset him. I was at an older age then, a lot of miles, it was hard for me to keep up with him.”
Pierce, born in 1977, is seven years older than James, retiring back in 2017 after a 19-year NBA career. James, set to enter his record-breaking 23rd season, has a total of four titles: 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2020, compared to Pierce’s one in 2008.
Paul Pierce Has More Thoughts On LeBron James
The rivalry between the two, specifically on Pierce’s end, has been a constant for the past few years. While his recent comments have made headlines, it is in no way the first time the Celtics fan-favorite has thrown shade at the Los Angeles Lakers star.
In a TV appearance earlier this year, Pierce said he thought he was the best pure scorer in NBA history, a slight jab at James, who won the scoring title in 2007-08, with Pierce never taking home the honor.
Pierce has also said he believes his Celtics team, with Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo alongside him, were the reason James took his play to the next level.
For the record, in the all-time head-to-head matchups between the two, James holds a 35-34 lead in wins, with a 17-13 lead in playoff wins. All of James’ statistical averages are higher than his rival’s, and he holds a 3-2 record against Pierce in all-time playoff series matchups.
Pierce’s career scoring average is 19.7 points per game, compared to James’ 27 points per game. James has made the Finals ten times, compared to Pierce’s two occasions. The numbers aren’t in his favor, but Pierce continues to attract publicity from his criticism of James.
Lakers Still Without The All-Time Leading Scorer
While it is safe to say James has won the now decades-long battle against Pierce, even if the latter is still fighting that battle, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has a lot else on his plate to deal with.
Most notable is his timeline for return. It was announced that James was diagnosed with sciatica, which he was reportedly dealing with since mid-summer, with him expected to miss the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, and potentially longer.
James himself has yet to comment on a specific date he has targeted for a return, but Lakers head coach JJ Redick said he is just hoping the star gets back on the court soon.
“You hope he can be back soon,” Redick said. “Those things can be tricky.”
James’ future in general has been in question in recent months, and even while hurt, Dave McMenamin of ESPN believes he will keep his eye open on how that impacts his future.
“LeBron’s gonna be watching, while he’s out. If they are struggling, that could lead to the next step that we could see at some point this season where….” McMenamin said on NBA Today. “If they are not winning, maybe he’s gonna have to go elsewhere to find that winning combination.”
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