The Lakers-Celtics rivalry didn’t just shape basketball—it defined it. It kicked off in the late ‘50s, when Bill Russell’s Celtics kept breaking L.A.’s heart, winning title after title and building a dynasty on purple-and-gold frustration. For years, Boston owned the bragging rights. But then came Magic Johnson. Not only did he flip the rivalry in the ’80s alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but he also much later became the bridge between two more legends who carried the torch: Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce.

Paul Pierce spent 19 seasons in the NBA—15 with the Boston Celtics—where he averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists over 1,343 games. But beyond the numbers, his career was defined by grit. After being stabbed 11 times in 2000, Pierce didn’t just recover—he played all 82 games the following season. “My stabbing incident really motivated me to be on the court… keep my mind off it. It really helped me lock in,” he said. That same locked-in mentality? Pierce saw it in Kobe Bryant—before Kobe even stepped onto an NBA court.

Not long ago on LA Legends, Pierce shared one of his earliest memories of Kobe—and it happened at an iconic L.A. spot: Magic Johnson’s “Magic Night.” The vibe was electric, and the Forum was still alive with that old-school Showtime energy. Pierce remembered, “Kobe was at the Forum when he first got drafted,” he said. “So remember, midnight, Magic? The Magic stuff, right? Like this spot you know, or the event, the club, or whatever we was at.”

Thinking they’d hang out a bit, Pierce went over to say something. “So I go over to him, ‘what’s up? What you come hang out?’ He was like, ‘no, I’m just chilling, you know. Just be careful out here, Paul.” Pierce laughed, retelling it. “It’s like he said that to me, right? I grew up here. I’m older than him, he telling me to be careful.” This was an unexpected reaction—not annoyance, not ego, just a laugh. Pierce didn’t get offended or fire back. He just nodded, amused, and replied, “All right, you got it, man.”

That small exchange stuck with him, not just because of what Kobe said, but the way he said it. Even as a teenager, Kobe had something different about him. “He was mature beyond his age, you know? And he was like locked in. Just locked in all the time.” That was Kobe from day one. Back in 1996, he was a skinny 17-year-old kid out of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania. The Hornets picked him 13th overall, then traded him to the Lakers in one of the most famous draft-night moves in NBA history.

And for those who had to guard him, it was a nightmare. Paul Pierce knew that better than most after facing Kobe in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals. On Speak with Fox Sports 1, he didn’t hold back. “If I had to sum it up in one word—just one word—facing Kobe was stressful,” he said. “... It was hard to get sleep because now you going against the Mamba—the second coming of [Michael] Jordan. I idolized, but when I saw and looked at Mamba’s eyes, I saw Jordan’s reflection. … This guy, he just showed us he could go for 60 in a half.”

And sure, Pierce might be full of praise for Kobe now, but don’t get it twisted. When the game was on, he never passed up a chance to poke, prod, or challenge the Mamba.

When Paul Pierce poked the Mamba — and nearly got bitten

Paul Pierce had already gotten the best of Kobe Bryant once. He’d outdueled the Lakers star in the 2008 NBA Finals, helping the Celtics win it all in six games while earning Finals MVP. But Pierce, being Pierce, he didn’t let it stop there. “We beat them in 2008,” he said on a recent podcast. “So in 2009 at the All-Star game, I’m on the bench, and he’s on the free throw line, and I yell from the bench, ‘He going to choke like he did in the Finals last year!’” The moment turned instantly tense. “He literally walked off the free-throw line, walked over to the bench, and got at my face. I thought we were going to go to blows.” Yes — in an All-Star Game.

That one jab stirred up all the leftover fire from the Celtics-Lakers Finals showdown. Boston didn’t just beat L.A. in 2008 — they embarrassed them, capping things off with a 131–92 demolition in Game 6. Pierce, who averaged 21.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds in the series while shooting nearly 40% from deep, walked away with the Finals MVP and bragging rights. Kobe, on the other hand, walked away haunted. Even in the light-hearted setting of the 2009 All-Star Game, Pierce’s trash talk wasn’t something Bryant could brush off. “He was so pissed,” Pierce recalled. “I’ve never seen him this pissed either.”

But this story didn’t end courtside in Phoenix. Kobe made sure of that. By 2009, he was on a mission, averaging 26.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game, eventually earning All-Star MVP (shared with Shaq, no less). And in 2010, the Lakers met the Celtics again in the Finals. This time, the Lakers clawed their way back from a 3–2 deficit to win the series in Game 7. Kobe shot just 6-of-24 that night, but grabbed 15 rebounds and poured in 23 points to lead his team. Redemption? Absolutely. Another ring? Check. Finals MVP? Yep. Pierce may have landed the first blow in 2008, but Kobe Bryant had the last say.