Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce and Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had some memorable battles during their careers.

The Celtics and Lakers, two teams with rich histories, genuinely hated each other on the court. Pierce and Bryant usually matched up against one another when they played and, in his book called “The Mamba Mentality,” Kobe Bryant says Paul Pierce was one of the toughest players he had to guard during his Hall of Fame career.

Bryant said Pierce used his “heft” instead of his athleticism to dominate games. Pierce, upon hearing the compliment on ESPN's The Jump Thursday, reacted to Bryant's statement:

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“That’s what I’m talking about Kob, finally some respect around here,” Pierce said. “He knew what it was, finally. I was just stronger than him, look. I put that body on him, come on now. Imma put that shoulder on him, put that hip on him, get the layup. Come on, I was just too strong for these guys. I couldn’t jump over them, so I just go right through them.”

Kobe Bryant is 100 percent correct. Paul Pierce was a gifted scorer, but he didn't have a single ounce of athleticism in his body. Pierce used his upper body strength to create separation and hit his patented midrange jumper.

Paul Pierce scored 26,397 points during his 19-year NBA career. He won the 2008 championship with the Celtics over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, and had his No. 34 jersey retired by the Celtics last season.