The NBA world often mingles with the fighting world. Whether in professional wrestling, MMA, or boxing, stars from the game are regularly taking action. So, one of the most highly anticipated contests of all time was obviously going to bring a lot of eyes from basketball. Even though a brutal 9th-round TKO win for Terence Crawford cemented his status as the first-ever unanimous Welterweight champion, it brought an end to a different rivalry as well. For weeks, a decade-old rivalry between Dwyane Wade and the Boston Celtics has seemingly been renewed.
However, with a momentous victory, Crawford has friends and foes celebrating together.
The NBA world celebrates Crawford’s victory
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Picture this: Two men well on their way to cement their legacies as all-time greats. Both, coming into a match undefeated. One, can walk out the winner, and call himself the unanimous Welterweight Champion. Suffice to say, the hype was unreal.
A matchup between Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford had already drawn comparisons to other legendary fights. However, the one distinction: both men are right in the middle of their prime. The match promised to be an all-timer. The 9-round battle finally saw Crawford win via TKO. And, stars were quick to celebrate the Omaha native’s victory. First up was The Truth, Paul Pierce.
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The 2008 NBA Champion and hot take expert shared an old photo of himself with a very young Crawford. Joining him was his Boston Celtics teammate Kevin Garnett, who accurately described his feelings in a single-word story.
However, their chief rival’s family also joined them in the celebration. After Pierce’s incendiary comments about D-Wade, and Udonis Haslem’s retort, an age-old rivalry was back at the forefront. But, Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, also an Omaha product, was quick to celebrate the new Champ’s victory.
“YOU ALREADY KNOW WE CUTTING UPPPPP!!! #OMAHASTANDUP,”?the 50-year-old wrote on her story.
The Truth tries to hurt Dwyane Wade
Coming on the heels of weeks of back-and-forth between the two camps, it seems like their favorite’s victory has made friends out of lifelong foes.
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The entire story began as a result of Paul Pierce’s comments on a podcast. While his take calling himself the greatest?Paul?drew support from Garnett, it was a different take that ruffled Dwyane Wade. Pierce, in a fiery rant, said he had a better career than The Flash.?
His reasoning was simple. According to him, the caliber of teammates the 3-time Champ had helped him accumulate rings. However, the comments did not sit well in the Miami Heat legend’s side of the bracket. His “brother”, Haslem, made some harsh comments about Pierce.
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It felt like we were back to the late 2000s, early 2010s. Dwyane Wade against the Boston Celtics. However, Crawford’s victory seems to have put to rest their beef, as both casts enjoy the remarkable victory by the first-ever two-time undisputed champion.
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