Retired NBA player turned ESPN analyst Paul Pierce only spent one season with the Washington Wizards, but he left quite an impression on his former teammate Bradley Beal.
In an earlier appearance in The Woj Pod with Adrian Wojnarowski, Beal shared his first impressions of the 19-year vet, claiming he thought Pierce “hated everybody” and “didn't like people” when he joined Washington in the 2014-15 NBA season.
Turns out, Pierce was the perfect teammate and quite loyal to a fault.
“He rides for his team If you’re his teammate, you’re his boy. That’s just how he is. But if you’re in the opposite team, he’s not talking to you. He’s not messing with you. I’ve learned that and kind of developed that same mental,” Beal said of Pierce.
Bradley Beal said on @WojESPN’s podcast that he used to think Paul Pierce hated him.
Paul says: “Good.” 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/tMEntbgseO— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) December 5, 2019
In an appearance on The Jump with Rachel Nichols, Pierce responded to Beal's sentiments, saying he took pride in not being chummy with opposing players before and during games.
“That’s what game my edge. That’s who I was. Now you see everybody is friends and they take it light with each other. I never wanted to do that,” The Truth said.
Pierce, meanwhile, was a vital piece for the Wizards in his lone season with the team, adding a commanding veteran presence to guide the team's young stars in Beal and John Wall. They made it all the way to the semifinals of the Eastern Conference playoffs that year, losing to the Atlanta Hawks in six games.
Beal, on the other hand, has assumed full control of the Washington's offense this season with Wall not expected to return until next year. He is tallying splendid numbers of 28.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists, while shooting 47.2 percent from the field and 34.7 from distance.
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