The day after Paul Pierce played his final NBA game, Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck confirmed to Toucher and Rich, a local Boston radio show, that The Truth will have his No. 34 hanging in the rafters of TD Garden.
Wyc Grousbeck just confirmed with Toucher & Rich that Paul Pierce's number will indeed be retired. #Celtics pic.twitter.com/ztHrb6p4gw
— Toucher & Hardy (@toucherandhardy) May 1, 2017
This news isn’t surprising in any way. Pierce was the face of the franchise for an entire era and won Finals’ MVP in 2008, Boston’s lone title since 1986.
Historically speaking, the Celtics have been fairly liberal retiring numbers as well, having hung No. 3 for Dennis Johnson, who played most of his prime in Seattle and Phoenix. They also retired Nos. 1 and 2 for former owner Walter Brown and head coach Red Auerbach, to signify that Brown was the first owner and Auerbach the second-most important person in franchise history.
Pierce is a no-brainer. The question now is whether they consider retiring Kevin Garnett’s No. 5, Ray Allen’s No. 20 or Rajon Rondo’s No. 9. None played the bulk of their careers in Boston, but based on the standard set by retiring Johnson’s number, you could make an argument for retiring their numbers as well.