Former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino reflected on one of the scarier moments of his tenure in Beantown, when Paul Pierce was stabbed 11 times during a nightclub incident in September of 2000.

During an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Pitino said he had to negotiate with a local church leader after a “hit” was put out on Pierce.

Pitino said he also remembers visiting Pierce at the hospital, where doctors told him the cut nearly missed puncturing Pierce's heart.

Pierce's recovery was miraculous.

The Celtics legend somehow managed to play all 82 games during the 2000-01 season despite suffering a potentially life-threatening injury. But the incident had a profound impact on Pierce's psyche.

As Pierce detailed on the “All The Smoke” podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, he was terrified of being attacked again:

“People don't know this, but I actually carried a gun for two years right after that,” former Celtics star Paul Pierce said, via Jacob Camenker of NBC Sports Boston. “I was so paranoid. Like, I kept it in the car, I had it on me, I was so paranoid after that. I was just like, I couldn't be in crowds. Something like that happens to you, man, it's traumatic.”

Pierce went on to say he was forever “changed” by the event, and Pitino marvels at the fact the former Kansas product was able to have a career at all, let alone one that will see him land in the Hall of Fame one day.

The Oakland native ranks second in franchise history in points and third in win shares, and earned a championship ring in 2008. But Pierce's brilliance was nearly snuffed out on that fateful September night in 2000.