On Friday, while celebrating his previous team’s championship win, Boston Celtics icon Paul Pierce took digs at the Los Angeles Lakers’ success in the NBA In-Season Tournament.

“If we win the in-season tournament, we’re not putting up a banner,” Pierce said. “Let the Lakers do that. We can make it into a carpet and put it in the hallway or something.”

On December 18, following their victory over the Indiana Pacers in the tournament championship on December 9, the Lakers hoisted a banner in Crypto.com Arena.

 
After the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals to win their 18th championship, they could now brag about their victory over the Lakers. They ended a tie with the Lakers, who own 17 titles, to take the lead in NBA history.

 

One of those championship wins came from Pierce, who in 2008 defeated the Lakers in six games to win banner No. 17. There was intense rivalry between the two teams, and in the 2010 Finals, Los Angeles earned some payback by defeating the Celtics in seven games.

 

The 10-time All-Star, who ranks No. 2 on the team’s all-time scoring list and No. 1 in steals, was an important part of the rivalry and ended his career as a Boston sports star. In 2018, the organisation retired Pierce’s jersey, and in 2021, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

 

The 46-year-old obviously hasn’t forgotten about his intense confrontations with the Lakers, even if it has been more than ten years since he last played for the Celtics, as he made light of them on Friday.