The LA Lakers and Boston Celtics have been the two biggest franchises in each of the conferences of the NBA. However, they have also been the biggest archrivals for the crown of the most successful franchise in the NBA.

Unfortunately for Paul Pierce, being a native of Los Angeles, he got drafted into the Boston Celtics. That meant that each time he visited his hometown, they did not greet very well him. It was natural for him to feel bummed about it, and even more so since he grew up a Lakers fan. And recently, in a press conference for the Hall of Fame event, he expressed how it actually made him feel.

Paul Pierce on being a Lakers Fan who played for the Boston Celtics

When the reporter from LA Times asked him what this specific situation was like, he did not hesitate to speak his mind. He said, “You know being a kid from Los Angeles. Playing for Boston, yes a rival, but, you know, a kid from LA to get booed? You know, being at home. you know. most places we went we went to different cities.

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“I know you had players that were from Houston or something and or Milwaukee or where they get cheered when they go to their hometown. You know that that wasn’t really a great feeling you know being a kid from the Englewood Los Angeles area getting booed at home a place where I made a name for myself? Uh, inside it didn’t feel good.”

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Further, he said, “But I knew I had to embrace it and I knew what it was, you know. It’s because of the jersey I wore maybe. If I had to play for a different franchise, it would have been different. But it really hit me when I played an all-star game in LA and I got booed in LA, and I’m like, ‘wow, I’m from here, you know?’

“That’s just pretty much the story of my career. Being an underdog, not really being liked, you know, I guess somebody has to be the villain.”

How did Pierce cope?

Paul Pierce admitted he felt shattered on the inside when he got booed in his own hometown. Yet, it was his mind that kept him going. Much like Kobe Bryant, who was also booed when he played in his hometown, Philadelphia. But what is common between the two legends is that they never let the words of other people get to them. Their focus was always on doing what’s best for the team, and not for themselves.