Paul Pierce, a Boston Celtics legend, opened up about ESPN firing him over two years ago because of an Instagram video in which he is seen smoking weed with a couple of strippers, claiming he did nothing wrong.
During an appearance on the “I Am Athlete” podcast, Pierce, 45, questioned what he did wrong and then answered his own question.
“At the end of the day,” Pierce said, “it’s Disney, and they have a morals clause, and they just said it was immoral.”
The hosts likened Pierce’s video of himself with strippers to Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant flashing a gun on Instagram while at a “gentlemen’s club” in Colorado.
They also made a joke about Pierce being fired on his day off, a scene from the comedy film “Friday.”
Paul Pierce recounts being fired from ESPN on his day off:
“I got fired for having some entertainment. What did I do wrong?” 🤷🏾♂️
Subscribe & watch a dope convo w/ The Truth, @PaulPierce34 📺 → https://t.co/tNyj1hoL2N pic.twitter.com/DD9O0YHRB9
— I AM ATHLETE (@IAMATHLETEpod) April 10, 2023
Paul Pierce reveals the truth about ESPN firing
Pierce described how they were simply playing poker at the home of a friend who was celebrating his birthday. He also bemoaned going live, saying he had never done so before but was “feeling” his hair at the party.
“I got fired for having some fun,” Pierce explained. “I’m a card player.” It’s my son’s birthday today. It’s a group of female dancers. We’re uprooting a tree. What went wrong for me?
“I never go live either; I was just feeling my [hair]cut or something when it started popping behind me.”
Pierce revealed that an ESPN executive informed him that she was looking into his actions. When asked about what was going on in the video, the NBA champion claimed that it was “self-explanatory.” Weed is legal in California, where the video was filmed.
