The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have an evergreen rivalry that has gone on for decades. Both teams lead the league in the number of championships won with 17 each. From the Bill Russell-Jerry West matchups to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird’s iconic rivalry, the two franchises have been the epitome of the NBA ever since the beginning of the league. And the last time fans got to witness this rivalry unfold was during the Kobe Bryant-Paul Pierce era over a decade ago. That was the time when boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr. showed his support to the Pierce-led Celtics.

Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce battled it out in two NBA Finals against one another. This only went on to bolster the two franchises’ rivalry even further. While the Celtics comfortably won in 2008, the Lakers got their revenge in a memorable Finals series that went right down to the wire.

Floyd Mayweather supporting Paul Pierce over Kobe Bryant

Recently, Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce sat down for an interview with the ?I Am Athlete? podcast recently. That is where he shared a throwback story of boxing legend Floyd Mayweather choosing him over the Black Mamba.

During the interview, Pierce narrated the story saying, ?I remember I was at the free throw and Floyd yelled out something. I looked at him and this just turned me up. I don?t even remember what he said.?

?But I looked at him and I said, ?What the f**k did you say?? And then he was like, ?Nah P, I?m with y?all.? Oh, alright, that turned me up. He said, ?No, I?m with y?all P, I?ve been with y?all.? And we was turned up after that,” added Pierce.

Read More – ?Didn?t Come Up Here for This?: NBA Legend, Who Once Focused on Annoying the Black Mamba, Unraveled Another Layer to Kobe Bryant?s Competitive Spirit

Finding the boxing legend supporting him fueled Pierce to the point that he wanted to guard Kobe Bryant next. ?The Truth? went on to describe how his teammate Ray Allen was guarding Bryant earlier and he wasn?t having a great game in the first half.

How Paul Pierce got the upper hand on Kobe Bryant

One thing Paul Pierce gave Kobe Bryant credit for was the fact that if Bryant had a slow first half, he?d come out swinging against the opposing team in the second. Pierce anticipated this and wanted to guard Bryant as the second half went on.

Watch This Story – 5 times Kobe Bryant copied Michael Jordan and his style

He talked about taking Bryant?s post-game away due to being taller and stronger than him. And he succeeded in doing so, which in turn helped him turn the series around. He described one play where Kobe was posting him up and as soon as he turned around to shoot, Pierce blocked the shot. “I’m like, ‘damn! I blocked a Kobe fadeaway,’” Pierce pridefully said.

What are your thoughts on Pierce’s story? Let us know in the comments.