Ever since Paul Pierce said he was better than Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade on ESPN NBA Countdown, NBA Twitter has been debating which was better.
Well, debate might be a strong word. The majority of NBA Twitter is making fun of Pierce for the assertion. While both are locks for the Hall of Fame, Wade is widely regarded as the third-best shooting guard of all time (behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant).
Wade’s son, Zaire, took to his Instagram story to defend his dad.
He wrote that Pierce played 19 years and only won one ring, while Wade has three rings. Zaire also brought up the playoff history between the two.
Wade’s Heat defeated the Celtics 4-1 in the 2010-11 Eastern Conference Semifinals and 4-3 in the 2011-12 Eastern Conference Finals. Then, when Pierce was on the Brooklyn Nets in 2013-14, the Heat beat them 4-2.
Pierce only got the better of the Heat once, taking them down 4-1 in the opening round of the 2009-10 playoffs, the year before LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Miami.
Pierce’s argument revolved around the fact that Wade won his championships with teammates like James, Bosh and Shaquille O’Neal (in 2006) while Pierce did not have the same type of talent around him for the majority of his career.
With all that said, it’s not surprising to hear an athlete as competitive as Pierce say he’s better than Wade. He’s unquestionably one of the best players to pick up a ball.
And it’s not surprising to hear a son defending the legacy of his father.
