Michael Jordan & Floyd Mayweather Connection to Celtics’ 2008 Championship Revealed by Paul Pierce

You’ve probably heard about Paul Pierce’s infamous wheelchair incident during Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals. Midway through the third quarter, Pierce went down hard after teammate Kendrick Perkins collided with his leg while contesting a Kobe Bryant jumper. He was carried off the court and wheeled to the locker room, leaving Celtics fans in shock. But less than two minutes later, Pierce came jogging back, drilling back-to-back threes and leading Boston to a huge Game 1 win. What you might not know, though, is what Pierce and the Celtics did after winning their 17th title—and that’s where the story gets even better.

Paul Pierce opened up on the latest episode of Julian Edelman’s podcast, Games with Names. He’s one of the rare players who’s shared the court with both Michael Jordan and LeBron James. But here’s the twist—by the time Pierce was drafted, Jordan had already retired in 1998, so he only faced him when Jordan returned with the Wizards in 2001. Pierce admitted, “That was like my two biggest disappointments after getting drafted, not being able to play in the Forum and not playing against Jordan, Bulls Jordan.” Don’t feel too sorry for him, though—he has a special connection with MJ.

Paul Pierce shared on the podcast what he and the Celtics team did after winning the 2008 title. He said, “I think we all went to Vegas. We all flew to Vegas, after parade, we all went to Vegas. Uh, we had like the top floor, the Bellagio, and we was just partying and enjoying it. It was It was good. It was good. Just, you know, everybody was like, ‘Oh, you know,’ I remember us being in the in the club with like Floyd Mayweather, Michael Jordan, and everybody.”

So yeah, Pierce might not have gotten to play against the MJ of the Bulls, but he definitely got to celebrate with him—and even hung out with boxer Floyd Mayweather. Curious about their Vegas trip? Back in 2008, Boston.com reported that Winchell Campos, part of Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao’s team, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the Celtics were given 16 tickets for Saturday night’s Pacquiao-David Diaz WBC lightweight title fight at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Sounds like quite the night, right?

He also shared that after the Vegas trip, he headed to Madrid. “That whole summer, that summer I spent like two weeks in Spain. I like Madrid. It was hot as hell. Hot, man. But spent some time out there. I did a little traveling, and it was just like it just, you know, that feeling of just being on top of the world. You know what I’m saying? Everywhere you go, you open up the ropes, get in, you get a seat at the restaurant, no waiting. You know what I’m saying? I remember I got a standing ovation. One restaurant, they just everybody stood up and just started clapping. I was just like, ‘Damn, we really did that.’” That’s when Pierce realised the significance of his success.

The 2008 championship that defined Paul Pierce’s legacy

Paul Pierce has never shied away from confidence, especially in his 2008 championship run with the Boston Celtics. Back then, after leading the team to a title and earning Finals MVP honors, Pierce famously declared, “I don’t think Kobe [Bryant] is the best player. I’m the best player. There’s a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don’t cross that line, but I have a lot of confidence in myself.” Sixteen years later, he still stands by those words, when he said on his podcast The Truth Lounge, “Right here, right now, currently, I’m the best player in the world. Why wouldn’t I believe that?” 

Pierce remembers the Finals vividly, not just for the stats—21.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game—but for the feeling of finally reaching the summit.

“It was so special to me because I just remember I grabbed the trophy, I yelled as loud as I could,” he said. “That was for all the pain and all the hard work and dedication I put in the sport just for that one moment, man. People don’t understand the sacrifices we make to be able to celebrate that one moment.” In that instant, Pierce says it felt like a flashback of every line drill, every 5 a.m. workout, and every hardship that led to that championship celebration.

Even now, Pierce rides hard for that 2008 squad. Last year on

The Dan Le Batard Show, he proclaimed that his 2007-08 Celtics could still take on the 2024-25 reigning champs. “This team is really good,” Pierce said. “But I will tell you this: our team, I don’t know, we knew how to break teams mentally.” That 2008 team, which welcomed future Hall of Famers Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, turned a lottery team into a 66-win powerhouse, won two Finals appearances in three years, and ultimately cemented Pierce’s legacy. For him, that championship isn’t just a trophy—it’s proof of what they built together, and why that era will always hold a special place in his heart.