Paul Pierce’s rise from the tough streets of Inglewood to NBA superstardom is nothing short of legendary. In 2015, Pierce returned to Inglewood for a homecoming event organized by the city’s mayor. During this visit, he showed his children the home he grew up in. His single mother raised him in a modest apartment next to a donut shop. His humble beginnings make his success even more remarkable. Now the owner of a $2.5 million mansion in Woodland Hills, his journey is truly a testament to perseverance, growth, and giving back.

Back in 2022, he bought a stunning 3,162-square-foot estate, tucked away on a quiet, tree-lined lot in the San Fernando Valley. The place has everything you’d expect from an NBA legend’s pad. Unfortunately, in March 2024, thieves broke in and made off with over $100K in valuables while he was away.

But Pierce isn’t the type to let setbacks define him. He built back right through it. Maybe also because he has already had experience with such a thing.

Recently, on The Truth After Dark, Paul Pierce shared a shocking moment from his childhood, not in Inglewood, but a few years before that. While chatting with Azar Farideh and Karlous Miller, PP shared a fiery story (literally) from his time in Oakland. He said, “Uh, when I was like seven years old and living in Oakland, I burned our house down.”

He created a shockwave with that confession. Naturally, Karlous asked “Damn. How do you do that?” 

Paul Pierce said, “I was uh, so I was a little kid playing with matches. Went into the bedroom, lighting the little quilt on the fire, blowing it out. Just wanted to see how it worked. Blowing it out.” This just revealed that he was a curious kid ready to explore and see how things work. But here comes the disaster.

“I lit it up one time, and it just spread. I couldn’t blow it out no more. And I ran out of the room and closed the door and sat on the couch.” Curious? Sure. Aware? Not so much.

As a 7-year-old, Paul Pierce just got scared and ran out, hoping the fire would go away. Instead, to none of our surprise, “Next thing you know, the whole room smoke caught gets caught from the curtains.” So that’s how it went down, and sooner than he could imagine, PP’s house was in flames. Well, it didn’t end there. Paul Pierce and his family moved out for almost a year while the house was under renovation.

But when they returned, the neighborhood kids were waiting with a nickname. “I just remember the older kids calling me an arsonist. I didn’t know what that meant. Like arsonist, arsonist.”

Paul Pierce recalled this childhood nickname given to him and just laughed about it. He even sarcastically added, “And then until I got older, I was like, ‘Oh, they was calling me a Okay, I’m a fire starter.'”. So this little anecdote confirms it, Paul Pierce is a fire starter, be it on the court or off of it.

And while his days of on-court domination may be long behind him, he continues to keep a feel for those who compete. Pierce is rooting for a young team to come away from this year’s playoffs with what will be their second NBA championship in franchise history.

Who is Paul Pierce rooting for?

NBA legend Paul Pierce, forever known as “The Truth” just made a spicy prediction that’s got everyone talking. He’s rolling with the Oklahoma City Thunder to take home the 2025 NBA championship. Yeah, you heard that right. The man who bled Celtics green for years is switching gears now that Boston’s playoff run ended at the hands of the Knicks.

On FS1’s Speak, Pierce didn’t hold back, saying, “They put me on notice… They got my respect… I think the Thunder are going to win it all.” No maybes, just straight-up belief in OKC’s young guns.

And honestly? Coming from a guy who’s seen it all, that could be a serious co-sign. When Paul Pierce speaks, you listen. This isn’t just some hot take. PP is a 10-time All-Star and the 2008 Finals MVP who knows championship DNA when he sees it.  The Thunder are historically good. A league-best 68-14 record. A first-round sweep of Memphis. Then, a brutal seven-game war against the defending champ Nuggets, where they proved they’ve got the clutch gene.

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Now, they’re staring down Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves in a Western Conference Finals that’s basically a showcase of the NBA’s next generation. Shai vs. Ant? Young superstars going toe-to-toe? Yeah, this is must-watch basketball.

This is a guy who was Boston basketball for over a decade, carrying that Celtics pride through stops in Brooklyn, D.C., and L.A. before calling it a career. But now, he’s backing the Thunder hard.